


Not Throwing Away My Blaster's Shot

by Snap_crackle_spock



Series: I'm not throwing away my blaster shot [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alien!literally everyone, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/M, Hamilton - Freeform, I promise, I'm Sorry, M/M, Resistance Pilot!Alexander, Star Wars - Freeform, Storm Trooper!John, dudes this is really weird., im not sorry, you will never read anything like this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-05-24 23:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 39,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6171166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snap_crackle_spock/pseuds/Snap_crackle_spock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alexander Hamilton is the best damn pilot in the Resistance.</p><p>John Laurens is a very hesitant Storm Trooper.</p><p>OR</p><p>the Star Wars AU literally none of us were expecting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Alexander

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello hello! 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this and, hopefully, fall in love with this AU as much as I have. I honestly don't even know where the idea behind it came from, all I know is that we now have even more gays in space. 
> 
> (@Lin, if you're reading this, this is the love child of Hamilton and the song you did for The Force Awakens. I'm sorry.)

Alexander Hamilton was many thing. A bastard, an orphan, and a son of a whore, just to name a few. But he was also the best damn pilot in the Resistance, and nobody could take that fact away from him. No person could take away the fact that he was almost as skilled at flying as Jefferson was at being a colossal asshole.

And, yet, he was still stuck on the Felucia base because Washington thought he was ‘to valuable to put in danger.’ This, as Alexander had come to realize, was code for ‘you messed up somehow and this is your punishment.’ In his defense, it wasn’t  _ his _ fault that Burr was being a total prick about the fact that he wasn’t Washington’s favorite. 

So, instead of going on missions or recruiting new members or literally  _ anything _ that could possibly be more interesting than being grounded -quite literally- he was stuck checking his X-wing for any possible damages and trying desperately to find anything to do. So far, it wasn’t working out as well as he’d hoped. He took great care of his ship, with the little money that he did earn from not-so-legal side projects that he did for some not-so-trustable aliens used to make repairs and upgrades. 

“What do you mean ‘Washington hates you?’” Peggy asked. The Arhan woman was sitting on a crate next to Alexander, who was inspecting the engine of his ship. She one of the only three women in the Revolution Squadron, a title that only six people had the privilege to use. The other two were Angelica and Eliza, a Wroonian and a Hapan. The fifth and sixth members of the Squadron were Hercules, a Kage, and Lafayette, another human. To be fair to them, they were almost as good of pilots as Alexander was. Almost. Though, Lafayette, Angelica, and Eliza were usually sent on the more diplomatic missions while Hercules, Alexander, and Peggy were left behind to blow shit up. Thus, their absence from the planet. Unless some were on a mission, the group was rarely separated for long periods of time. 

“That’s the only explanation.” Alex huffed and and used a wrench to tighten a bolt that really wasn’t all that loose to begin with. “I mean, why else would he punish me? Burr  _ isn’t _ his favorite. Not even close. If he were, he would be on part of the Revolutionary Squadron, which he is not. So one can only assume that it’s one of us six. My credit’s on Laf.”

“And why would you think that it’s him and not me?” Peggy asked, arching her elegant eyebrow. It really wasn’t fair, her whole person was effortlessly beautiful. Being Arhan, she literally had a lithe build, all her people did. While her delicate bones didn’t prove to be any sort of useful in a hand-to-hand fight, she was always helpful to reach something from the top shelf. Something that Alexander envied. He was short by human standards, it didn’t help that all of his friends were at least a head taller than him.

“Because,  _ Margarita _ ,” Alex said, leaning back so he could see her scowl at the birth name which she’d worked so hard to stop people from learning, “you’re always the last one to be called whenever he says our names. It’s always  _ and Peggy _ . Whereas Lafayette is the first to be names, every single time. Not to mention the fact that Laf’s tooka is literally named after the man. And I’m starting to think that he’s been giving our dear general blow jobs in his free time.”

“Alexander,” Peggy sighed, picking up one of Alex’s mini-torches, “I can honestly tell you that I don’t think that’s true. Besides, how would that even work? We’re hardly ever in the same star-system as the general as it is. You really think that George would take time out of his busy schedule for such things. And let’s not forget that he’s  _ married _ , Alexander.”

“Whatever you say, Pegs.” He held his free hand up in surrender before wiping his brow. He honestly hated Felucia. It was to hot and humid to do anything worth doing. Peggy liked it because the plants were pretty, even if they were also carnivorous, and Hercules liked it because it was a pleasant change from his homeworld of Quarzite, where he’d been literally lived under rocks for most of his life, due to the pressure on the planet’s surface forcing his people to live in the crystal caverns underneath the surface. 

Alexander didn’t have such an appreciation for the damned planet. It reminded him a little bit to much of his home on Yavin 4 which, to be frank, was a shithole. It had been a complete wreck ever since the time of the Rebellion, where a gigantic battle had happened before the Empire had fallen once and for all. Alexander had gotten out the moment opportunity revealed itself.

“Hey there Hammy, Peggy.” Hercules greeted, walking into the underground hangar from the base, three bottles of water or some other liquid in hand. He was important to Alexander. He’d been his first choice when Washington had asked Alexander who he wanted on the Squadron. Back then, years ago if he remembered correctly, when he was just a solo pilot who did the odd mission for Washington. It took single handedly escaping an entire fleet of tie fighters to earn enough respect from the general to get his own squadron and, while Washington had suggested someone like James Madison or Thomas Jefferson, Hercules was the first person he’d chosen. Obviously, he’d taken George’s advice and accepted Lafayette and Angelica, but that didn’t change the fact that the team was one of the few things that Hamilton felt were truly  _ his _ . 

“Hamilton’s being pissy that Washington’s not giving him what he wants for once.” Peggy mumbled, hopping off the crate that Alex was 83% sure was filled with explosives to retrieve one of the drinks Hercules was offering. “Personally, I’m glad that it happened. Don’t get me wrong, I miss going out on missions and everything. But just having a day to ourselves is really nice. No near-death experiences, no blowing things up, just the three of us chilling while Ham complains about his first-galaxy problems.”

“First of all, I’m not complaining about any problems, because I have none. What I  _ do _ have is an unfair ruling on Washington’s part because I put Aaron fucking Burr in his place.”

“You shot him, Alex.” Hercules pointed out, taking a sip of his drink, yellow eyes glimmering with mischief. Technically, it wasn’t untrue. That didn’t mean that Hercules had the entire story, either. 

“He shot first!” Alexander countered, dropping his tool to the pile at his feet. “And it’s not like I  _ hit _ him! He was aiming to kill, but I shot well over his head! Besides, it’s not even that I’m mad at Washington for not sending us on any of the missions. It’s more the fact that he’s not letting me fly at all. I have needs, you know! I’ve got people to see, places to go, credits to make!”

“Oh yeah, sure.” Hercules nodded with a roll of his eyes. “People to meet? What, is it that Maria Reynolds character again? Because, if I remember correctly, a week into that little relationship of yours she revealed herself to be aligned with the First Order and, instead of some sort of fairy tale wedding or whatever it is you were planning, she tried to take all of the Resistance’s battle strategies and kill the six of us.”

“But did you die?” Alexander countered, admittedly not in a very convincing manner. That was besides the point, though. “And no, it’s not Maria, although that was certainly an adventure.” He ignored the glare from Peggy at the comment. It wasn’t his fault Maria and her just happened to be the same species. Angelica had yet to let him live it down. “I was supposed to meet with a few Mandalorians to discuss a job they needed done, but since I’m grounded, I’ll have 83,000 credits wasted.”

“Was it  _ legal _ , Alexander?” Hercules asked. 

“Define legal.”

Whatever the Kage was going to say was cut off by the sound of the hangar doors opening from above. The two moons were already shining. Alexander had lost track of the hours, what with spending so much time under the surface. Hercules seemed to be faring the best between the three of them, though it wasn’t hard with Alexander’s insistence on doing something every waking moment to keep from thinking about where he was and why he wasn’t anywhere else and Peggy’s refusal to spend more than one hour underground without stepping out for some fresh air and sunlight.

The shuttle that landed (a small one that probably couldn’t hold more than a couple of people) next to Alexander’s ship, and the door slid open. Out walked Angelica, Eliza, and Lafayette. The eldest sister was still wearing her helmet, the indication that she had been flying. All three of them were dressed nicer than usual due to their ‘important mission’ to meet with who the fuck cares from the planet Alex Doesn’t Give a Shit.

“Ooh! Look who’s back!” Peggy teased, giggling from her place, though she didn’t have a malicious tone to her voice. The three women, and they would proudly verify such a fact, had become the best of friends over the two years they’d spent as part of the Revolutionary Squadron. Any Resistance members who knew them (and weren’t immediately insulted into oblivion by Angelica) had taken to calling them the Skyward Sisters. 

“Yeah, Angie, you look nice for once.” Alex laughed and watched the oldest ‘sister’ take off her helmet to let the bouncy dark curls fall. She was pretty, Alexander supposed. All of his friends were. Somehow, Angelica could make even her blue skin look beautiful. 

“Ha ha, very funny.” She rolled her eyes and set the helmet on the crate Hercules had been sitting on before going to hug Peggy. “I’m sorry that I left you alone with these two animals. It must have been dreadful.”

“ _ Hey!” _ Hercules exclaimed from his place next to Eliza, arm wrapped dutifully around his fiance’s waste. “This  _ animal _ has feeling. Not that you would know, seeing as you don’t have any of your own.” 

“I missed you too, Hercules.” She waved casually, not even bothering to look in his direction.

“Sometimes I can’t even believe her.” Hercules whispered to Eliza, who let out a soft giggle, though not a response. As the doors of the hangar began to shut, she pulled her electrostaff and turning it on, illuminating the group in a flickering purple glow.

“I hate how dark it is down here.” She mumbled and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. It wasn’t even dark down there, though nobody questioned it. Her people, the Hapans, weren’t exactly known for their night vision. Though, the things they  _ were _ known for, Eliza tried very hard to erase from her personal history. Thus, she joined the Resistance.

“We have news, by the way!” Lafayette announced proudly, adjusting himself like a fidgety blistmok. “Directly from the general himself! He said that he wants Alex to contact him. Something about your flight privileges being restored.

Alex nearly jumped with joy. It had been months since he’d been grounded and he’d forgotten just how much he despised the feeling of being trapped on a single planet, even for just a day. Instead, he sprinted all the way to the actual base, breezing past people who probably outranked him in favor of going directly to his Squadron’s bunker (girls in one room, boys in another) and retrieving his personal hologram device, scrolling through the few contacts he had to find Washington.

It beeped twice.

The general was a scary man. He seemed like he would be very open and caring from his appearance, and in ways he was. He refused to send anyone under the legal flying age into the middle of a battle. He made sure that no man, woman, or others were ever left on battlefields, dead or alive. And he made an effort to share a meal with a squadron or two every once in awhile. That didn’t put down the fact that he was terrifying. “Hello, this is George Washington speaki- oh. Alexander. I see Gilbert returned faster than I had expected and delivered my message.” 

Alexander nodded eagerly.

“Yes, well I have a mission for you. Something small and only for a small squadron. I’ve received word from a source that the First Order is planning an attack on Serenno. Obviously, with it being a neutral territory, I don’t want to send a full battalion to its doorstep. But there’s are citizens there and I don’t want them hurt. Do you think you and your squadron could manage that?”

“Sir,” Alex grinned and pulled his helmet from off of his bed, “have we ever failed you?”


	2. John

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John gives his perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I didn't think this would get such a positive response! Thank you all so much for the love you've given this story so far. I have a lot of plans on what I want to do, and not one but two character webs that describe (in ridiculous detail) every aspect of the character I want to cover in the story.

John Laurens had a lot of things going for him. He came from a wealthy family from Zygerria. He was rich. He was fairly handsome, at least by human standards. One thing he did  _ not _ have going for him, however, was anything that even vaguely resembled freedom. His life had just been one person to serve after another. And, at the very heart of it all, was his father.

Henry Laurens was a high-profile slaver who was well known on Zygerria, Tatooine, and other slave infested cesspools that some people had taken to calling homes. Anyone who was anyone that needed a servant they didn’t need to pay was often in contact with the Laurens family, and John hated every bit of it. 

It might’ve been the family’s reputation throughout the Outer Rim that had caught the attention of the First Order. Maybe it was just the overall asshole-ness of Henry that had caused some disturbance in the Farce, the name which John had taken to calling the ‘mystical power that some people could control,’ and drawn recruiters to the Laurens’. Maybe an official from the Order had just seen John walking the scorching streets of the planet’s marketplace. One way or another, they had found out that the Laurens’, a family that prided themselves on being racist bigots, had produced an offspring that wouldn’t really be missed. 

The best part of the whole ordeal was that John hadn’t been taken like most of the other Storm Troopers that had been ‘recruited.’ No, they’d  _ payed  _ his father for him. And not just that, but Henry didn’t even make an attempt to deny the offer, treating John as if he were one of their damn slaves. Upon reflection, he supposed they weren’t all that uncommon. Obligated to serve, a punishment awaiting them if they disobeyed, forced into a life they could never want, and not a single ounce of respect or compassion from those that took ownership of them.

So, without so much as a chance to say goodbye to his sisters, brothers, or the few friends he’d come to care for on the horror-show of a planet, John Laurens had been shoved into a First Order shuttle, sent off to the base on a planet that he hadn’t even gotten to learn the name of. Only that it would be his home until such a time he was either sent to another word for a mission or put out of work permanently. So far, it seemed the latter was going to come first. 

It wasn’t all terrible, he supposed. There were a handful of people that made the living conditions tolerable. By no means did it mean that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill a man if it meant getting out forever, but they made it seem at least not horrible.

First there was Maria, the woman responsible for at least half of the First Order’s successful missions. To say she was gorgeous was an understatement, she was flawless. Everyone on the base, even those who’d never met her, knew as much. And not only was she beautiful, she was manipulative and cunning and powerful. She was the secret weapon that King George, the ringleader of the whole thing, kept tucked away until there was something he needed her to do. 

John might not have believed in the Force but he did acknowledge the fact that there  _ were _ people who ran around calling themselves Sith and Jedi and Maria was among those few. He didn’t know her backstory, nothing about how she found a lightsaber or learned how to wield it, but he did know that when she did, she was a force to be reckoned with. Not that he’d seen her in action, though. At all. Ever. The closest he’d come to seeing her at work was when she’d come back to the base with a new story of how she’d bested a member of the Resistance, pulling them one step closer to beating them, a fate John wasn’t entirely sure he wanted.

Then there was Ph-L1p. John didn’t know his actual name, the kid had been taken in too young to remember it himself. John hated that the First Order would stoop so low as to abduct a child, one who had seemingly more innocence than he knew what to do with, and attempt to draw him into this war between what they said was good and bad. It was something John couldn’t fully comprehend.

“It’s a human guy, right?” Maria says as she watches him fire at the dummies at the other end of the large training room. Technically, she was supposed to be helping Captain Seabury oversee the training of  _ all _ troops in the Red Squadron. However, she’d just come back from a month long mission and John was eager to learn about what she’d been up to all the way across the galaxy. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s cute. Not my type at all, but cute. You’d like him. Put up the tough exterior but he’s a softie inside. I could tell. Anyway, he’s part of the Resistance. And I’m not talking about some twenty-something-tier member. No, this guys at the top of the food chain, right hand man to Washington himself.”

“Sounds like you were having fun with him.” John sighed, aiming the blaster at the dummy. The dummy who had an orange suit on with a big Resistance icon smack in the middle. “Did you get what you needed from him?”

“Mostly,” she sighed, gently tossing her weapon of mass destruction between her hands as if it were just a metal ball, “I was supposed to get some battle strategies. Maybe a few names while I was at it. But his buddy, some Kage, took one look at me and immediately wanted to fight. I mean, I kicked his ass, of course, but my dear pilot friend never did comm me again.”

“Oh, your life struggles are so hard.” John rolled his eyes and shot effortlessly at the heart of the plastic figure. “I know for a fact that none of the relationships that I’ve been in have ever been as horrible as yours. Namely because I don’t get that sort of luxury.”

“I don’t know,” she laughed in a way that made her seem more scary than friendly, “I thought you and EA-K3R were hitting it off pretty well. Is there something going on there that I don’t know about?”

“You disgust me.” He mumbled. “No, you more than disgust me. You absolutely repel me.”

“L1-RenJ, you’re needed in the debriefing room.” The chilling voice of Commander Seabury came from behind John and he couldn’t help the thought coming into his mind.  _ Well fuck. You’ve gone and done something. Now they’re going to kill you. And not just kill you, but torture you until they’ve learned every little bit of information you have. And, when they’re done with you, they’ll just toss your body into the stars. Nobody will even know. And that’s the terrible thing, because that’s what they’re going for. They want you to be thinking this way, John. If you weren’t, they wouldn’t have so much power over you. _

Thankfully, when he got to the debriefing room, there weren’t just higher ranking officials with blasters. There’s no way they’d kill a man in front of their own troops.  _ Unless this is a multi-person murder _ . 

“Men,” Seabury said as he walked into the room, Maria trailing after him. Other than those two, John didn’t recognize anyone else. Granted, half of them still had their helmets on, but still. It wasn’t like he knew enough people to expect to recognize some in the first place. “Maria,” he nodded to the assassin, “I suppose you are all questioning why you are in here. The answer is a simple one.” He pressed his hand to the holo-table, the image of a planet showing up above the blue surface. “This, for those who aren’t aware, is Serenno. A small planet of no apparent significance or value. However, King George has been informed by an anonymous source that the Resistance will soon find themselves on this planet. And not only that, but their elite squadron known among them as the Revolutionaries. This is an opportunity for you select few, hand chosen by myself, Maria, and King, to prove yourselves once and for all. Failure on the simple mission of destroying these six soldiers could prove to be . . . Fatal.”

 

* * *

 

“Did you put in a word for me?” John hushed quietly to Maria. Along with 11 other Storm Troopers, (including their pilot) Maria had been added to the bunch as a way for Seabury to both monitor and control the small squadron.

“Me?” She asked, arching a delicate eyebrow. While the troopers had gone for the classic armor, she’d chosen to forgo defense in favor of mobility. And, instead of clunky battle gear, chose instead to wear a dark tunic and black pants that seemed as if they could never belong to someone so menacing. At least until she paired them with her terrifying blood red cape, the symbol of the King’s Men, the most elite and high-ranking of the First Order. “No, I couldn’t compromise us like that. It would seem as if I were playing favorites.”

John was about to ask who could’ve sent for him, then (Seabury hated him. Passionately.) when the shuttle they were aboard exited hyperspace in the bumpy manor John had only experienced once before. There weren’t windows on the shuttle, save for in the cockpit, so John had no choice but to wait until a full descent until he managed to see the planet.

It was all a little nerve-wracking, to be honest. In the span of two and a half hours, he’d gone from a common Stormtrooper to one who was serving his cause with the ‘best of the best.’ Something didn’t seem right, though. There was a feeling in his gut that just screamed ‘something bad is going to happen! Turn back now!’ He ignored it, of course. That’s what he’d been programmed to do. Deny all feelings and accept that your only purpose is to serve the First Order. 

Then the shuttle went down. 

From the whir that came the moment before they started spiralling, John assumed a ship’s blaster. Maybe a high-powered manuel missile launcher. Nothing with less firepower than that had enough strength to take down the shuttle. Either way, the ship was going down. 

Now, if he’d been as calm and collected as he’d claimed, he would’ve done what Maria had done and snatched his parachute pack from beneath his seat. Something any sane person would do. But he was antsy after being shot down on his first ever mission, and before he knew it, he was falling through the hole whatever had shot at them had created. 

After the second it took to accept his imminent death, he closed his eyes. He imagined all the things he’d never get to do an all the people he’d never get to say goodbye to. All the people who’d probably never know he died. And he braced for impact. Hitting the ground couldn’t be too bad. That would mean the death was painless and quick. He could live with that. Or, rather, die with it.

_ Oof _ .

Ground came a lot quicker than he’d expected. And it was a lot harder and colder. And why was there whooshing in his ears? Wasn’t he supposed to be dead? He opened his tightly shut eyes and screamed. He had not, in fact, landed on the ground. No, this was much worse. Instead, he’d landed smack in the middle of an x-wing ship, the pilot watching angrily from his place in the cockpit.

With a string of what John assumed were curses from the way the man appeared to be saying them, the ship turned upside down. Thank the Maker for the empty droid slot which John managed to cram his legs into, giving him a better hold on the ship. Upside down, his helmet was beginning to slip away. And he wasn’t about to let go of the ship to try and grab it. Instead, he watched as it fell into the trees of the mountainous planet. 

After another slew of muffled curses that John couldn’t hear through the glass and over the wind, the ship began to turn back upright and descend. Once it hit the ground, John scrambled off and attempted to sprint, only to be hit in the back with a large rock. Not enough to hurt him at all, but definitely enough force to knock him down. 

The man who’d thrown it, the pilot, stalked towards him, hair whipping around him from the wind and blue jacket flapping wildly. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just shoot you here and now.” He grunted, pulling out a small blaster aimed directly at John’s head.

It should’ve bothered John more when he came up void of actual reasons. 

“Information!” He quickly bullshitted. “I have information!” He did not. “I’m of more use to you alive and as a prisoner than I would be dead because I’m a high-ranking official” -no he wasn’t- “and I have valuable information that you could use!” 

The pilot contemplated this, seemingly rolling the thought over in his head. Just when his fingers tightened on the blaster and John was beginning to accept his death, he sheathed it. “Get in the ship. And if you try anything, I will not hesitate to blast you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, aren't they just the cutest together? It's true love at first sight, I promise. 100%.
> 
> No but seriously, I hope you all enjoyed and I can't wait until the next chapter.


	3. Alexander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Revolutionary Squadron returns to Home Base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever to write, and I'm sorry. The only excuse I can think of is that I had a writing SOL on Wednesday and the server on my computer crashed as I turned it in, so I was in a //very// horrible mindset. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and it's extra 500+ words from the normal 2,000-ish.

The StormTrooper was cute. And, okay,  _ maybe _ he shouldn’t really be thinking that way about the Resistance’s sworn enemy, but it wasn’t helping that the guy had to sit in the passenger seat (he’d installed it himself) of his x-wing which just  _ happened _ to be right next to him. And it wasn’t like he was just going to leave the guy awake in full view of the route back to the Takodana Base. So yeah, he had stunned the guy. Which didn’t help his plight to keep a check on his feelings because the guy sitting next to him had the most adorable little snore.

“Alexander?” The voice of Eliza crackled through the transmitter, “who’s that in the ship with you?”

“If you picked up a local because you couldn’t keep it in your pants-” Hercules warned aggressively. 

“Relax, guys.” Alexander sighed and flicked a few switches needed for a half decent take off. Honestly, he wasn’t  _ that  _ bad, was he? He would never endanger a mission for something as trivial as that. “It’s not a local. I found this StormTrooper guy and-”

“ _ You’re banging a StormTrooper on your mission? _ ” Angelica shrieked, nearly killing Alexander’s ears through the speaker. 

“Honestly,” Peggy groaned and he could already see her rolling her eyes, “we all knew you were looking to get some wherever you could but this is taking it a little far. Even for you, Alexander.” 

“Thomas Jefferson and his teenage-like ways are rolling over in his grave.” Lafayette mumbled and Alexander was fighting a blush and a gag at the same time. What had he done to earn such a terrible assumption based only on half of a sentence.

“First of all, Thomas Jefferson isn’t dead. Unfortunately. Second, if you would have let me  _ finish _ you would know that the guy’s passed out-” -a gasp from who he assumed was Peggy- “- _ no! _ I mean I stunned him and he’s out cold next to me - _ no, Peggy!-  _ because I’m taking him as a prisoner of war.”

With a huff and a diligent flick of the communications switch to the ‘off’ position, he took to the sky. This was not the time, nor the place, for a discussion about it. They could talk after the First Order was sent running. For now, they needed to focus on the mission at hand. And that meant the Alexander really couldn’t focus on the fact the Super-Hot-StormTrooper’s head had fallen accidentally and landed on his shoulder. 

 

“I can’t believe you shut off the communication channel for the first half of the battle!” Peggy fumed, angrily exiting her ship and stalking to Alexander, who was -along with Hercules- pulling Super-Hot-StormTrooper out of the passenger seat. 

“If you could even call it that.” Lafayette mumbled. It wasn’t so much of a fight, more like a ‘who’s gonna leave first’ contest. The First Order had sent a few StormTroopers out and the Revolutionary Squadron had shot each of them. But, other than that, nothing separated the group from the blockade they’d formed around the small village. 

“You wouldn’t stop grilling me about my prisoner of war!” Alexander hissed, gesturing to the man whom Hercules was binding the arms of. Was it immoral that Alexander had a small urge to ask the Kage to be gentle? Surely not. 

“He’s not a prisoner of war, Alexander!” Angelica argued, seething at the fact that Alex had brought the man along. Fine. Let her seeth. They’ll see who wins in an argument when Washington was the judge. “A prisoner of war would imply that he has some sort of significance!”

“He does!” Alexander protested. “He has information!” Okay, maybe Alex wasn’t going off of hard fact. He was only going off of what the man had told him before he’d stunned the shit out of him. That was okay. The others didn’t need to know that.

“Who as information?” An even voice came from behind the bickering squadron. Alex stiffened. With a breath he turned to face the general of the entire damn Resistance. If George Washington was scary over comms, he was terrifying in person. He stood nearly a head taller than everyone in the group, Lafayette included. With a quick glance at the StormTrooper, now laying on the ground as Hercules had set him down to stand in attention, George quickly turned on his heels. “No.”

“But sir-” Alex exclaimed, racing after the general. The few people on the concrete slab that functioned as their ship doc scattered to clear a path for the two men. 

“ _ No, _ Alexander.”

“I really think that he could benefit-”

“You brought a StormTrooper onto our base?” George hissed, stopping abruptly. “Did it ever once occur to you that, perhaps, that was not the smartest decision, Hamilton? We don’t know the technology the First Order has on their side. They could be tracking him at this very minute and we’d have no way of knowing. Which would mean that you’d unknowingly led them right to our front door. Now, tell me, how does this  _ benefit _ us, Hamilton?”

“You’re right, sir.” Alexander said carefully, nodding cautiously, “we don’t know what tech they have. But this is a man from the inside. A man from the inside who can feed us information about what the Order is planning.”

There was a moment of tense silence and it felt like the whole galaxy was holding it’s breath. Alexander watched as George contemplated the proposal. And, just as Alex was about to continue with his case, he nodded. 

“Fine.” George mumbled, then again, louder. “Fine! But we’re locking him in the old cell, okay? And we’re getting rid of the armor.” - _ don’t think about it too much, Alex-  _ “Until we know more, that’s the best we can do for now. And, Alexander? This is your reputation on the line, not your squadron’s, not this StormTrooper’s, and certainly not mine. So if he tries to run, kiss your fighter goodbye.”

Suppressing a grin, Alexander nodded quickly and pivoted, rushing back to where the rest of the group was waiting for the verdict with varying levels of annoyance and disbelief. Instead of a straight answer right off the bat, Alexander just stuck his tongue out at Angelice, watching the rest of the group groan as one.

“George’s letting you keep him?” Lafayette asked, disgusted. “That’s worrying.”

“No, Laf,” Alexander corrected, “the worrying thing is that you and him are on a first name basis.” He shot a look to Peggy as if to say  _ ha ha, I told you so. _ She just rolled her eyes in annoyance and reached for their prisoner’s legs. 

“What are we doing with him?” She asked.

“Washington said that we’re putting him in our dungeon. Or would it be a prison? Maybe just a holding cell? That doesn’t sound nearly as cool as dungeon, though.” Alexander rambled. 

“You’re a huge fucking nerd, do you know that?” Angelica asked hoisting one of the prisoner’s appendages up in an effort to help carry him to the area they had their small handful of cells. 

“You say that as if you don’t have the utmost affection for me.” Alex teased, walking merrily along side the three people holding up the StormTrooper, Eliza and Lafayette both at his side.

“I  _ don’t. _ ” She countered, looking just about ready to shoot him. Not that it was unusual. The two of them were often the two that butted heads most in the group. Eliza was a very peaceful spirit, Hercules was down for nearly anything, Peggy often got overlooked, and Lafayette only went into an argument he knew he could win. With Angelica and Alexander, though, they would find any and every opportunity to argue. They’d once had a solid three day discussion about why one or the other should’ve gotten the last slice of the celebratory cake for General Washington’s birthday. Not to say they weren’t friends, though. Quite the contrary, actually.

Alexander loved Angelica. He loved her like she was family. And, while they’d bicker constantly, they both also managed to always walk away with new information. If it hadn’t been for her, he would never be able to keep up with the high-society side of galactic politics. And without him, she’d have trouble finding the rare paper backed books that still exist in the galaxy.  

“I didn’t even know we had prison cells.” Alexander heard Peggy mumble as the entered the Castle. It wasn’t really a castle. It was just a large stone building that happened to be offered to them by a kind donor. Everyone called it the Castle because, before the Resistance had gotten to it, the First Order had controlled it. The rumor went that King George III himself had stayed in one of the rooms. Now, it housed every member of the Resistance that needed a place to stay while on base. And, since the Takodana base held the majority of the Revolution, it was an impressive feat. 

There were, of course, a few people that stayed off base. The natives, people who knew natives, the few people in the organization rich enough to afford somewhere for themselves. Alexander wasn’t one of those people. Lafayette was, and the Skyward Sisters shared a home a few miles away. 

Hercules and Alexander shared a room in the Castle. It was large, larger than most. Two beds, a decent view of the lake behind the base, and more room space then the two of them combined knew what to do with. Alex didn’t have a lot of personal items - a handful of books, a few trinkets that he meant to play around with until he found something he could use, and one or two barely-held-together journals. Hercules didn’t have much more than him. He had a few yards of fabric here and there along with an old sewing machine he’d picked up in a junkyard (a hobby of the Kage’s that he didn’t like to talk about too much) and a couple pictures of sentimental value. He’d been talking about moving out for a while, now. He and Eliza were looking for a few places a for themselves. 

Honestly, Alex wasn’t sure how he’d cope. Hercules was important to him. He was his closest friend, and an important part of Alex’s daily cycle. Said cycle consisted of typing madly on his HoloPad until someone -usually Hercules- intervened and forced him to eat something. 

“Peggy, you don’t even stay here,” Hercules pointed out, “you were here last week and couldn’t even find your way to our room.  _ After _ Alex and I had given you explicit instructions.”

With a huff, Peggy rolled her eyes and continued forwards, not bothering with a counter argument. Not that Alex could blame her. It was hard to tease Hercules any more than kind-heartedly. He was the human equivalent of a teddy bear. The human equivalent of a teddy bear that looked like he could rip your head off with his bare hands if you wronged him.

“Well, smartass, where is it than?” Angelica hissed. 

“I know.” Alex whispered, waving with his free hand to a small group of people crowding around a small couch in what was commonly referred to as ‘the Living Room.’ It was the biggest room in the Castle. Thousands of chairs and couches were set up everywhere, there was a bar in the back of the room, and music was constantly playing. Alexander liked it, he found it was a great place to gather everyone when he needed to publicly humiliate Thomas Jefferson for this reason or that. 

The group that he’d waved to was a small squadron of some of the younger cadets that Washington had still yet to let fly. Among them was Theodosia Burr, Aaron’s daughter. She was a pretty little bugger, and a half decent flier at such a young age. Alexander liked her because she reminded him of Philip, his brother. He’d been separated from at a young age, after a hurricane had destroyed nearly half of his home-world. For all he knew, Philip was dead. Maybe that was the reason he felt personally responsible for Theodosia and the rest of the younger troops. He made an effort to reach out to them and teach them a thing or two. Washington didn’t let anyone off-world until they were over the age of 18, and all of the children insane. Instead they were left to send messages from person to person and train endlessly. When they weren’t on a mission, the Revolutionary Squadron were usually the ones to train the cadets. Alexander liked that. It made him feel like he was having some sort of an effect on not only his generation, but the next. He made a special effort to learn everyone’s name and everyone’s story. Especially Theo’s. It helped that he was sort-of-friends with Aaron. It was easier to get information from him, however vague it might be, than it was from her. Theodosia Senior, her mother and Aaron’s wife, had died a year after the Burr family had come into the Resistance. She had been shot by a First Order trooper on a small stealth mission gone wrong. 

Maybe that was why she screamed when she saw who they were carrying. 

Giving Lafayette a quick look, Alex and him quickly ran to hold her back. The rest of the group she’d been with strained their necks to see who they were carrying around the scene happening in front of them. 

“They killed her!” Theo yelled as she struggled against the two men, both of them at least twice her height and weight. “They killed her and now you’re just letting them in here!” It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation. One that hurt Alexander deeply. He hated the First Order, probably more than Theodosia did. But he also wanted to keep as many people alive after the war was done as he could. Which was a nice thought, but it didn’t stop a few of the people in the living room to begin to rise, anger evident on their faces. A lot of people had joined the Resistance after something bad had happened to a loved one. So seeing a StormTrooper carried through the Living Room of their most secret base in plain view of everyone was probably not helping keep everyone civil. 

“I know, Theo.” Alex whispered, careful to keep a tight grip on her shoulders. “I know. Laf, can you go run and grab Aaron?” With a curt nod, the man sprinted out of the structure and disappeared into the crowd of people, only to return less than a minute later with Aaron right on his heels.

“Theo.” The man said, dropping to his knees to hug his daughter. Alex had a lot of things to say against the man -passive, shit brains, jealous, undereducated, little  _ fuckstick _ \- but Aaron Burr had a whole hearted love for his daughter. He cared deeply for her and worked so hard to ensure that the galaxy would be safe and sound for her. “It’s okay,” he hushed her, “it’s okay.” 

“Hamilton!” Angelica’s voice came from a lower level and Alexander felt just about ready to shoot himself, “We have a problem!”  _ Of course. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These gay nerds, I swear to God. Also, I love Theo and I'm so excited about her and Aaron's storyline (yeah, I've got this whole thing planned out with them and all these other people and I've already said to much.)
> 
> Anyway, I love hearing your thoughts and I thank you all for reading.


	4. John

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John is interrogated by the Revolutionary Squadron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaayyyy LMAO fam, glad to see you're sticking around to see this roller coaster of craziness. I'm so excited to watch this whole thing pan out, and I hope you enjoy it.

John was having a bit of a rough day. 

Wasn’t that just the biggest understatement of all time?

First, he falls out of a ship. Then he falls onto a rebel’s X-Wing.  _ Then _ he gets stunned mercilessly. And now, after all of that, he was strapped to a chair as a group of six stood eerily around him, as if they were waiting for him to do something. What exactly that something was was what he was trying to figure out. 

“So who’s going to talk first?” The rebel pilot that he’d met in the first place -the one who’s ship he’d landed on- said from his place directly in front of John. Two women flanked his sides, one with menacing looking staff and the other with three different guns strapped to her person. The two men on their sides both looked like they could kill with their bare hands, and the final woman, while not necessarily frightening, was casually tossing a cluster bomb from hand to hand. “Are you talking first or am I talking first?”

If he wasn’t shaken to the core, John would’ve laughed. Maybe even blushed. The guy was cute, no denying that. He looked familiar, too. Like he’d seen that face before. Not that that was a bad thing, he never wanted to forget a feature. And, under different circumstances, would’ve been exactly John’s type. The only problem with that was, to be his type, John required said person not to be his mortal enemy and holding a dagger to his throat.

“I told you this was stupid.” The woman to his right, the one with blue skin and multiple guns, hissed. Her hand fell to the butt of the blaster resting in a holster on her thigh and John’s heartbeat suddenly quickened. “I say we just get rid of him now.”

“Oh, Angel.” The man in the middle tsked, and John thanked the Maker for him. For whatever reason he was keeping him alive, it was happening. And that was just enough for him at the moment. He was just trying to survive at this point. This was unfamiliar territory. He didn’t have a clue to where he was, what planet he was on. His mind was focused on bullshitting his way through this and hopefully getting out without being killed in the process. “I told you were keeping him.” The man gave him a once over lazily. “For now, at least.”

“I’m siding with Angie on this one, Alex.” The woman with the bomb muttered. If the man -Alex- heard her, it didn’t register on his face.

“We’re going to need a few things from you.” Oh no, this was it. The end. They were going to take his internal organs and sell them on the black market. And then, when all of the useful bits were gone, they were going to incinerate him in the nearest star and make sure that nobody ever found the remains- “Hercules? Can you go grab our guest a change of clothes?” With a gruff nod, the most intimidating of the six left, shutting the solid metal door behind him.

_ What the fuck? _

“You’re not going to kill me?” John asked, hating how meek his voice sounded but at the same time he didn’t care.

After a tense moment to silence, the entire group burst into laughter. “ _ Kill _ you?” The tall, skinny, man to Alex’s left asked. “Don’t you suppose that’s a little more up the First Order’s ally. I’m asking because you, of course, would know.”

Placing a warm hand on his shoulder, which John wasn’t expecting at all, the kind looking woman with the staff bent down to level their eye contact. “Ignore him. He’s joking… Kind of. But I promise, we aren’t going to hurt you. You said you had information and we need could use that. So, all you have to do is comply and it’ll be completely painless.”

“Don’t comply, and it’ll be a very different story.” The blue woman, the one called Angie, injected. John didn’t need to be told twice, her hand hadn’t left the gun.

The door slid open, revealing a man John had yet to see. He was tall and slim. With a bald head and a bored expression on his face. “Alexander, Washington wants you. He talked about you needing to deliver a statement about our new-” he gave John a glance “-prisoner.”

“I caught him, though!” Alex -Alexander? John liked Alex more.- stomped his foot like a child, and John let out a quick guffaw which caused everyone in the room to turn and face him before refocusing their attention on the new member of the addition. “Look, Burr, I understand that this might not have been terribly well planned. And I can relate to your troubles; you know I can. But he’s my prisoner, and this is my reputation I’m putting on the line. So just take Laf, or someone. Washington likes him more, anyway.”

“It’s true.” The other man in the room smirked, and flamboyantly tossed a curl over their hair. “Angie, Peggy, come with us. You’ll make the people we need to talk to even more sympathetic.” Muttering her argument, Angie and the other woman whom John took to be Peggy moved out of the room, following ‘Laf.’

“Why don’t you start by giving us a name to work with?” The last woman smiled at him as Alex began pacing the small room.

He hesitated. These were the people he’d been trained to fight against. They were supposed to be monsters, murderers, and thieves. These people were treating him better than the First Order ever had. Something clearly had to have been mistaken. “John.” He all but whispered. “John Laurens.”

Alex bristled at the name, as if it struck some chord deep within him. “Laurens? As in Henry Laurens? The slave trader from Zygerria?” When John nodded nervously, Alex let out a loud groan. “There’s always a catch, isn’t there. ‘Liza, can you believe him? First cute boy I see in  _ months _ and he’s the spawn of inter-galactic dick-head Henry Laurens! You know, it’s no wonder he was with the Order. I bet they didn’t even recruit him. I bet he volunteered!” John wasn’t sure which emotion was stronger, the flattery from the compliment or the offense from the insult. 

“Alexander!” ‘Liza chided in the way a mother would her child, “was that really necessary?”

Before John could step in on the conversation -or at least completely think about what he would say to defend himself- the large man -Hercules?- barged into the room. That was the wrong word. He didn’t barge into the room, he slid into it. Though, John supposed if he wanted to he definitely could’ve barged into a room. “I bring clothes.”

John looked up helplessly, arms still bound to the seat. Eliza looked between the two men, Alex fuming in the corner and and Hercules standing confused at the doorway. With a gentle smile, she took the folded pile from Hercules. “I’ll take it from here. You need to take Alex and try to get him calmed down, and someone needs to watch him. When our new guest is done changing I’ll hand off his armor and you can go dump it in a star or something.”

“Eliza-” Hercules tried to argue, only for her to take his hand and smile dazzlingly at him. How was it that this woman had infinitely many smiles? She treated their time as if they all weren’t in the middle of a war. 

“Hercules, I can handle myself.” She gave his hand a squeeze and John noticed the rings on their fingers. Simple, metal bands twisting around each of their ring fingers. Something that wouldn’t get in the way during a fight but still retained the symbolic meaning. “Not that our new friend would try anything, isn’t that correct, John?” 

With an excited nod as confirmation, Hercules grabbed Alex’s hand and led him out, casting a wary glance behind him before the metal door slid shut. 

“It’s not your fault, you know.” She moved over to him, setting the clothing on the ground and unfastening the ties binding him to the chair. Her trailing coat gave the impression of a dress or skirt, which John would’ve never thought to have had a place in a war. However, Eliza seemed to make it seem effortless and completely where it meant to be. Peggy had one as well, though her’s was shorter than Eliza’s with more volume. “Your past, I mean. You can’t help where you come from and how you’re raised. Believe me, I would know. My father is an outspoken supporter of the First Order back on my home world, and I was raised on those ideals. But they’re wrong, and I can see in your eyes that you know that.” She stood again, the bonds freed from John. “I know that it may not seem like it, but Alex was very eager to have you among us. He just comes from a difficult background. His mother was a slave, and he was for the first few years of his life. I’m sure you can understand why he reacted to poorly.”

John hesitantly stood, rubbing his wrists gently and bending slowly to pick up the new clothes, fresh clothes. They were soft, a feeling he’d missed for the longest time. While the First Order had ensured that each of its troopers had clean clothes and armor, they never payed much attention to if it was comfortable or not. He hadn’t had felt such a comfort since a long time ago. 

“Oh!” Eliza exclaimed, stepping back quickly, “my apologies! I’m sorry, dear. I’ll just turn and you can tell me when you’re done.” With that, she stepped into the corner of the cell and turned to face the wall. Quickly, John stripped and changed, thankful for the looser clothes. 

“Okay.” he whispered, still nervous. There had to be a catch, there was no way that someone could trust their enemy enough over the course of a few minutes to fully turn their back to them. The clothes were nice, loose fitting and made out a light fabric. The exact opposite of what the armor had been. 

“Don’t you look handsome!” Eliza smiled, and John couldn’t help but do the same. It was hard not to with such a loving woman. “Now, I’m sorry to say such a thing, but you have to stay in here. We’ll most likely take turns watching you, maybe a few people you haven’t met yet. But I promise that you’ll be taken care of. It’s a simple trade agreement. If you give us whatever information you have, I promise that we’ll make sure you don’t die before your proper time.”

Wasn’t that just reassuring?

“Thank you for your help, Eliza.” John extended his hand, offering it to shake, which she took gladly. 

“You’re very welcome, John.” She smiled. Again with the smiling. “Now, why don’t we start by asking something simple?” She took a seat on the ground, and John followed suit. “Can you give me a name? Maybe a higher ranking officer? It doesn’t even have to be a rank.”

John hesitated for a moment. He’d made friends in the First Order. He didn’t want to admit it, but some of the people there weren’t terrible. He wanted to protect people like Maria and Ph-L1p and all of the people who weren’t bad, just forced into a bad situation. But people like King George? That was common knowledge. Even  _ he _ knew that the Resistance knew that. 

“Come on, John.” Eliza encouraged, just something that we could use as a lead.”

“Seabury.” John said finally. “Samuel Seabury. He’s from the Outer Rim, I think.”

“Thank yo-”

“Okay, I’m not done with you.” The door slid open and Alex brust in, Hercules chasing after him. “See, I thought I was done with you, but I was right and it was bugging me. You’re really cute, so it makes this really hard to say: I really hope you’re not an asshole. I’ve met Henry Laurens, smuggled some things for him, but  _ man _ I hated it. What a dick.”

“I’m so sorry.” Hercules just mumbled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Aren't Eliza and John just beans?


	5. Alexander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexander and John talk a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is being posted late, even though I don't have any sort of schedule for these. Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoy. I still can't believe I'm writing a Hamilton Star Wars fic.

“What were you thinking, Hamilton?” Hercules mumbled, walking calmly along side him. The majority of Resistance members were gone, most likely off listening to the address Lafayette was making regarding the new addition. Honestly, Alex didn’t know. At the time, it had seemed like a grand idea. Someone with insider knowledge of the First Order to help them plan attacks and strategize ways to put an end to the evil organization. Now, though, it all seemed like a colossal mistake. 

“Honestly, Hercules?” Alex sighed as they passed by the large expanse of water set behind the Castle. It was beautiful, especially at this time of the year. There were gigantic water flowers in full bloom floating on the lake’s surface, their multi-colored petals opened to sky above. It reminded him of Yavin 4, the flowers resembling the rainbow of hues that climbed the temples of his home world. “I don’t know. It was more of a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing.”

“Did you really have to lash out like that, then?” He asked, stuffing his large hands into his pockets. “I mean, you’ve made such a big fuss about this guy, who we still know zero about, and now you just left him in there with ‘Liza? This is a StormTrooper. And, I mean, he doesn’t look like he could hurt her, but we don’t know anything about him. What if he hurts her, Alexander? I know she can take care of herself but we don’t know what he’s capable of and-”

“Hercules,” Alex looked up at the taller man, “this is our Eliza we’re talking about. The very one that single handedly took out 12 StormTroopers. It’s not like she couldn’t handle him if something went wrong.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Alexander?” Hercules stopped walking, stepping in front of Alexander to cut him off from the path. “I know that she’s completely capable of taking care of herself, and that’s what worries me. I’m scared that this war is going to continue forever, and if we choose to start a family it’ll be in the middle of all of this and any kids we have will have to grow up fighting from the moment they can. And I’m scared that, when this is all over, it’ll be like something’s missing and we’ll always be trying to find whatever it is that can fill it. I don’t want the war to change us, Alexander. And not just me and Eliza, I mean all of us.”

“That’s really great, Hercules, but you’re wrong. War  _ does _ change people, no matter how much we try to deny it. Things change, people die, and a lot of bad things happen. And that affects everyone. Burr’s lost his wife, I’ve lost my brother, and George and Martha lost their kids. That does things to people. That makes people different. So, instead of keeping it to one’s self, you need to talk about it to the people it concerns. The people that are concerned about  _ you _ . Not that you’ve given us any reason to be concerned about you, of course. Unless you’re hiding something. You’re not hiding anything from us, are you?”

Hercules just smiled and placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “You’re so weird sometimes, Hamilton.” With a grin directed to the ground, Alexander moved around Hercules and continued their walk. “What happened to you in there, by the way? I mean, I know Henry Laurens is a dick, that’s common knowledge, but was that reaction honestly necessary?”

“You don’t get it, Hercules.” Alex sighed, running his hand through his hair. Honestly, he was surprised that it hadn’t begin falling out by now, he’d repeated the action so often. “I grew up with the whole idea of slavery surrounding me. Hercules, I  _ lived _ through that for a portion of my life. My brother lived through it. I know how entitled bastards can be. It was like we weren’t even people. Like we didn’t deserve anything. And, ever since I escaped that life, I’ve been trying to find ways to stop it. I’ve worked towards freeing people and, every step of the way, it’s people like Henry Laurens who are keeping up with me in the worst possible way. So yeah, I’m a little touchy on the subject.” Pausing for a moment, Alexander contemplated what he was about to do very carefully. “You know what, Hercules? I’m not done with this subject.” Before the larger man had a chance to question him, he bolted off, back to where they were holding the prisoner.

 

“Alexander!” Eliza scolded after his impromptu entrance. “What in the galaxy are you doing? Our dear friend here was just giving me some names and-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alexander waved her off, walking directly to John, “look, I wasn’t lying when I said your father was a dick. He was, probably still is. Thankfully, you don’t seem like a dick. Then again, I’ve only just met you, so it’s all a little in the air right now. I want to believe that you’re just born to the wrong family and that you’re actually a really grand person who was forced into working with the First Order but I need you to look me in the eyes, John Laurens. I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that I wasn’t wrong taking you here and that you’re really going to help us.”

When the man stood from his place on the ground -nearly a head taller than Alexander, not that it was hard- he was suddenly very scared that he’d done something wrong and the StormTrooper was about to punch him. 

Instead, though, he looked directly into Alex’s eyes with his very pretty, borderline mesmerizing green and brown ones and said, “I swear I’m here to help. I honestly want the First Order to be taken down.” John cast a glance to Hercules and then Eliza. “I know you won’t believe me, but I honestly don’t agree with them. I never have. They fought for everything that I was -am- against. I  _ was _ forced into it without a way out. In a way, this is a saving grace. I suppose I should be thanking you.”

Alexander just gave him a sceptical look. He wanted to believe him. Like,  _ really _ wanted to believe him. But this was a complete 180 from the ideal this man was supposed to be trained to believe. Alexander wasn’t ready to just drop everything and embrace him as one of their own. Instead, he nodded for Eliza and Hercules to leave, hoping his message conveyed without spoken word. 

The idea seemed to be understood as both Hercules and Eliza cast Alexander a worried look but said nothing as they left the cell, taking the discarded armor with them. And suddenly the air in the room shifted. What had been light, if a little standoffish, was now tense and seemed like a fight was about to break out if the silence was broken in the slightest way. 

“I’m glad you’re not like him.” Alexander sighed leaning against one of the walls and crossing his arms. “I mean, given the nature of the how you described the First Order, I’m assuming that you aren’t a fan of him either. So you would hopefully have no quarrels with me saying that he’s a terrible person. And you seem like a halfway decent person. I appreciate that you aren’t another Henry Laurens.”

“Alexander, was it?” John asked, arching one of his eyebrows, “your opinions aren’t wrong. Henry Laurens is a terrible example of a person. But, and this might just be the way I was raised, a person doesn’t typically barge into a room and proclaim their undying hatred for someone they’ve never met. It can come off as a bit rude in most cultures.”

“You’ll find that I do it quite a lot, actually.” Alexander shrugged, smirking a little bit at the sharp retort. He’d been spending too much time with Eliza recently and missed the feeling of quick banter. “If you were serious about what you said, about staying and fighting alongside us, you’d better get used to me outspokenly hating people now. Angelica, um, one of the people who were in here earlier, had started considering a ‘fight me jar.’ The idea is that for every time I challenge someone, I put a couple of credits into a jar. I personally think that she wants a new blaster and doesn’t want to pay for it herself, but that’s just me.”

John let out a soft chuckle at that, which gave Alexander an inexplicably good feeling. Like something right had just happened and the overwhelming urge to make it happen again flooded through Alex. Which was ridiculous. He’d only just met John, who was a  _ StormTrooper _ , and already accused him of being a horrible person and threatened to kill him. And yet, there was still that feeling in him. And it felt more than that kind of crush feeling he had gotten the first time he’d seen him. No, it felt like this was  _ supposed  _ to be happening. Like some greater force was pushing them to this point in their lives. Like all of the things in the universe that had led Alexander and John to where they were in life had been preparing them for this moment. And that was stupid, right? 

“Did you actually mean what you said earlier?” Alex asked quietly, disturbing that tender quiet that had fallen between the two. “When you said that you wanted to stay with the Resistance?”

There was a moment’s pause before John whispered “Yes.” The freckled man looked up from where his eyes had landed on the ground to meet Alexander’s. “I meant what I said. This group of people, they’re fighting for all of the right reasons. What has the First Order accomplished? Blowing up a few things and scaring half of the galaxy into submission? That’s not the sort of future I want to have a part in creating.”

Alexander nodded. He understood what John was saying,  _ really  _ understood it. Even from a young age, he’d had this whole idea of a legacy in his brain. And he’d never known what it was going to be for, but from the moment he could think it, he knew that one day he was going to be remembered for changing the galaxy. He wanted his name in history books for generations to come, to be remembered as someone who had a part in making the galaxy a better place. 

“Do you believe in destiny?” Alexander asked, genuinely curious. “That there’s something more powerful than anyone steering us all in a certain direction?”

“You mean the Force?” John asked.

“Yes and no.” Alex shrugged. “I think that the Force and destiny are two different things. I think that destiny is more of a set path that everyone follows unintentionally. It’s more something that nobody has control over. Like it’s ingrained in our lives. The Force is more fluid than that. You’ve heard the legends about the jedis, right? How they had control over it? It’s something that is always with us, but we can change it.”

“In that case, I don’t think either is real. Only people can change what they do with themselves. Everyone has the ability to change what happens in their lives. It’s not something that’s engraved in stone. And, as for the Force, I don’t think that’s real either. I’ve met a Sith, if that’s even what they’re called now. She’s badass and I wouldn’t question for a second that she could use her lightsaber to off someone without a second thought. But as far as having telekinetic abilities over other people? No way.”

“Call me an optimist, but I think it’s real. All of it.” John scoffed. “Don’t cast off the idea of something just because you’ve never seen it before.”

“Why did you join the Resistance?” John asked, the look on his face suggesting that he was going somewhere with the question.

“My home planet, Yavin 4, was destroyed completely by a hurricane. If you could even call it that. It was like a super-storm, tearing apart everything in it’s path. People died, entire villages were destroyed, and I was separated from the last person I loved. Before that, my father left when my younger brother was born. Two years after that, my mother died from a plague that offed nearly a third of the population. It was an, uh,  _ unfortunate _ childhood. Anyway, the hurricane comes and my brother, Philip, and I are separated. I’m not even sure if he survived. And I almost wish that he didn’t because the rumor was that the First Order swept in once everything had settled down and taken all of the kids that were young, impressionable, and homeless. I wouldn’t know because, all of a sudden, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I guess I joined as a way to avenge him.”

“That’s a horrible thing,” John nodded, “but it proves my point. If that had never happened, you would’ve spent the rest of your life on that planet. You’d said that you had a family there, which meant that you wouldn’t have planned to leave them to join the Resistance. I’ll make an assumption and say that you didn’t have a burning desire to fight the First Order since you were born.”

“I think that you’re just twisting the story in favor of your argument.” Alexander countered. “But I appreciate the fact that you had the intellectual capacity to hold your own against me.”

“I’m glad to see that my captor is so humble.” John rolled his eyes before a small shiver rippled through his body. Upon seeing Alex’s definitely-not-concerned look, he just shook his head. “It’s just a little cold for me in this metal box. I grew up on Zygerria, basically a desert with some pretty buildings. The First Order Base I was on was kept ridiculously warm because the planet it was on was below freezing on average. Not to mention the intense insolation on the armor-” he was cut off by Alex shoving an old jacket into his arms. It wasn’t anything special. A present from Hercules for his last birthday made of brown leather with too many cracks in the fabric from accompanying Alex on too many missions.

“Take it.” Alex shrugged. Definitely not because he was subtly trying to get John to smile because it seemed like the sun glowed a little brighter when that happened. Definitely not because of that. Just because Alex was a good citizen and captor, making sure his prisoner was as comfortable as possible. Eyes flickering between the clothing item and Alex’s face, John hesitantly took it and shrugged it on, shoulders losing their tension immediately. 

“Thank you.” He mumbled. “I’ll give it back when you’re ready to leave or whenever someone comes down to trade places or whatever-”

“Keep it.” Alex said. And okay, maybe he bit his lip  _ just a little bit _ . But it certainly had nothing to do with John. At all. 100%. “It looks good on you.”

_ Subtle, Hamilton.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES I did the jacket thing. Was it even a question of if I was or wasn't? We all know they're supposed to be Finn/Poe. (And, for future reference, Kylo Ren is Maria, Hux is James Reynolds, Snoke is King George, Phasma is Seabury, Washington is Leia (but, you know, Washington) Philip is coming in a little but later, and the Rey-inspired character will be revealed later BUT I will say that it's more of a combination with someone who was mentioned in this note.) (Brownie points to anyone who can guess it in the comments.)


	6. John

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John adjusts to life with the Resistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter! (Or happy Sunday to any and all who don't celebrate it!)
> 
> I realize this is a little late, but I've been traveling a bit and hey, I still got it up sooner than later. 
> 
> And trust me, I'm so happy with this one. It's got it all, the entire Revolutionary Crew, a nice little action scene, the beginning of a mystery, and all the fluffy stuff we all love so much. I think you're all going to love it.

John was starting to lose that prisoner feeling. He was beginning to feel less like he was being held against his will and more like if they told him he could go he would ask to stay. Of course, it wasn’t the most glamourous living situation. Basically a shelf for a bed with no blanket and only a small pillow, two small meals a day that were always the same flavorless piece of bread with some sort of vegetable, and the eerie feeling that someone was monitoring his every move. Someone probably was. 

He kept occupied, though. When he wasn’t rereading one of the three books that Alexander had generously provided, he was talking. It seemed like he’d just about had a conversation about every topic known, from battle strategies of the First Order (with Angelica) to the difficulty of making a half decent cake with minimal ingredients (Hercules). All six members of what he’d learned was the ‘Revolutionary Squadron’ had visited him at least once. 

Angelica seemed to be the least keen on seeing him, though she stopped by every once in awhile, if only to brag about the Resistance’s recent victory on whatever mission they’d just returned from. Somehow, that usually led John to inquiring about their weapon or something of the sort. And, when she didn’t just scoff at his question, she’d take her time to fully explain whatever he was still in the dark about. 

Almost in the same boat as her was Peggy, who John simply couldn’t stop comparing to Maria. Maybe it was just the fact that they were both the same species, but  _ damnit _ they looked like they could be twins. At least, if Peggy wore any makeup at all, put her hair down, stalked around in boots with three inch heels, and threatened to skewer anyone with a lightsaber if they crossed her. Still, the resemblance was there. The were both beautiful and he instantly felt the connection he found with Maria in her. She came in more often than Angelica did, though it was mostly because she was usually the one stuck with the job of bringing the food down. Not that he was complaining, she was a pleasant being and any conversation he could coax out of her was delightful.

However, Eliza was, by far, his favorite of the Skyward Sisters. (At least, that was the name he believed they were called.) She was careful and kind and overall wonderful. Whenever she did visit, she was usually accompanied by Hercules, her fiance. John liked them both spectacularly. Hercules, though appearing strong and menacing, was soft at the heart. Eliza was quite the opposite. When they’d first met, John had wondered how someone so kind and gentle had gotten tangled up in this mess of a war. Then he started getting to know her and realized  _ holy shit this woman could actually kill me if I did something wrong. _

And, of course, there was Lafayette, who John couldn’t get enough of. Lafayette was flamboyant, to say the least. He had been born into a life of royalty on a planet run by the First Order in favor of joining the Resistance, and that was something John respected. 

Alexander was his favorite, though. As if it was even a question. The young pilot spent more time in John’s cell than any other one of the Resistance members, and John was very grateful for it. Sure, Alex was technically there under the facade of getting as much information out of John as possible, but that was hardly the case. It was more of a ‘talk for hours on end about any and everything and maybe every once in awhile the topic happens to be the First Order’ sort of relationship. And John liked that. He really liked that. Which was completely irrational because, no matter what he was feeling, he  _ was _ a prisoner of the Resistance. 

Still, was fantasizing about something that had the possibility of happening someday that bad?

_ Yes, John. It’s bad. It’s very bad. You’re not supposed to set unreasonable goals for yourself. Out of your league. Out of your star system. Stop pining.  _

 

It was late when it happened. Alex always left at eleven PM sharp, mainly because Hercules came down to drag him away to wherever it is that Herculeses and Alexes disappear to at night. And, if Alex was tired enough to hardly fight when Hercules carried him away, then it was definitely late enough for everyone else to be asleep on the base. So it was understandable that John was terrified when the door opened in what he assumed was the middle of the night. 

“Alex?” He asked, sitting up slowly as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light shining through the suddenly open door. But it wasn’t Alex standing at the door. In fact, it wasn’t even a single person. Three people, each standing in the rather large entry way, were nothing but shadows against the light from outside. 

The center one, which was the tallest and thinnest of the three, was the first to move forward. As he came closer John noticed that he was clad entirely in black and had a mask pulled over his head that blocked any and all identifiable features. The other two followed quickly, the one on the right much shorter and stronger built and the one on the left a happy medium between the two. Both of which were wearing matching clothes and masks.

“Shut up.” The tall one whispered, grabbing John by the arm roughly and pulling him to is feet. There was something that was being wound around his hands, which were firmly held behind his back by the short one. “We’re here to get you out of here. So be quiet and do what we tell you.”

“Who are you?” John asked dumbly, as if he actually expected them to be straightforward with their answers.

“We’re with the First Order.” The short one whispered. There was something distinctly familiar about his voice, something John couldn’t quite put a finger on. With a shove, they began moving out of the cell.

_ The First Order was in the Resistance? How long had this been going on? Did anyone know? What was going to happen now? _

And, as he was being roughly shoved up the stone stairs into a large room that didn’t appear to have anyone in it, despite the large fire blazing in the hearth, John began to think of what would happen next. If this happened, if they took him back to the First Order, then what? Reform him, shove him back into the fight, and eventually he’d be forced to go up against the people he’d actually begun to form a bond with. The people that he’d felt closer with over the course of a handful of days than he had to anyone yet in his entire life.

“No.” He mumbled, then again louder. “No. Stop now.” 

That halted the small trio escorting him through the base. 

“What do you mean ‘no?’” The tallest one asked. “We’re getting you out. You seem to be under the illusion that this is an option. We’re going, L1-RenJ. Whether you want to or not.”

“ _ No. _ ” He said, and silently thanked the First Order for his basic combat training, because that was the only thing that was going to help him now. Without a warning, he shoved the medium sized one on the stomach with his shoulders. With a groan, the man stumbled behind himself and tripped over a seat. After he was out of the way, John focused his attention more on the tallest man, who had already palmed a blaster. 

Ducking underneath a blast (hopefully set to stun) and ran to him. Unfortunately, he was much quicker than the first man, and stepped gracefully out of the way, causing John to stutter on his feet, arms still bound behind him. He didn’t stop quick enough, though. His hip nicked a small table by the fireplace, a vase falling over and shattering on the ground.  _ That was good. _ John told himself. Someone was bound to hear. Someone was bound to help.

It felt like an eternity until someone actually did.

John was straddled over the short one’s waist and dodging loosely thrown punches as the other two were still sputtering on the couch after being tangled with each other on a couch when someone finally came down. And not just someone, Alex. 

It was like a god had descended from the sky to help.

“What’s going on?” The still tired man asked, rubbing his eyes as if he were still half asleep. It wasn’t until the tallest man, the one John had begun to suspect was the leader, had stood up again that Alex seemed to really wake up. “Hey! What the fuck are you three doing here?”

“Let’s go.” The middle one hissed. “Come on, he’s not coming with us! It’s more trouble than it’s worth.” And with that, the three men stood and rushed out of the building, sprinting off into the night. However, not before Alexander could grab the collar of the middle one’s shirt, exposing a patch of dark skin briefly, and punched him harshly in the face. Still, he escaped from Alex’s grasp and bolted out of the building with the other two.

The moment they were gone, all of John’s adrenaline left his body and he let his head fall to the stone floor beneath him. Alex was quick to rush over, quickly getting to work on undoing the bonds on his hands. “What the hell was that?” Alex asked, panting a little.

“First Order.” John choked out, the pain of what just happened finally coming back to him. Pains in his back and stomach were shooting through him, not to mention his head. It felt like a thousand fighters were all being piled onto him, one after another. “They were here, hiding in the Resistance.”

A moment of silence passed between them, and when John’s eyes flickered up to Alex’s face he appeared to be rolling the idea of this over and over in his head. Instead of replying, he just said, “Here, let me help you up. I’ll take you somewhere safer than the cell.” Heaving, he helped John sit up, then wrapped his arms around John’s torso to help him stand. “Sorry about the stairs. The Castle’s a little late with the technology.”

 

“Thank you.” John said, sitting calmly on the bed opposite the one Alex was on, knitted blanket tugged around his shoulders (on Alex’s insistence) and a still-steaming drink in his hands. (Also on Alex’s insistence.) The blanket was laid on top of Alex’s jacket, which had remained on even throughout the events of the evening. John hardly took it off, only when changing clothes in the privacy of his cell. He told himself that it was because it was the warmest thing in the cell. That the fact that it smelled like Alex had nothing at all to do with his immense love towards it. “It’s been years since I’ve been on a proper bed. It feels nice.”

“Yeah, well,” Alex shrugged, “Hercules was out with Eliza tonight, looking at some new homes, so the bed was spare. And there’s no way I’m returning you to that awful prison cell of a room. I’ve actually been trying to convince our general to move you. That horrible little room was starting to get on my nerves and you’ve clearly proved that you’re trustworthy enough to warn us if someone were to try and rescue you which I think is a very good indicator of-”

“Alex,” John interrupted, grinning at the babbling man in front of him, “ _ thank you _ for doing that for me. You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.” Alex protested, standing up and crossing the two feet between the beds to sit next to him. “I mean, you haven’t given anyone any reason not to trust you. Besides being a StormTrooper and all. But you’ve been telling us since the beginning that you hated the First Order and everything about it. You’ve been telling us how it’s the worst people in the galaxy trying to do the worst things they could possibly do. And I don’t think that’s fair to you. I believe strongly in second chances. Trust me, I’ve had enough of them to last a lifetime. Everyone deserves them, no matter what’s happened to them in life. And you definitely seem like the type that could use a second chance.”

John smiled at that, unsure what else he could do. Alex seemed to have this effect on him, and he had yet to decide how that was supposed to make him feel. He knew he wasn’t supposed to like it. He was going against everything he’d been taught by letting his stomach fill with a warm feeling every time Alex so much as looked at him. And yet…

It did happen. He still felt that inexplicably and helplessly devoted to this man, this Resistance pilot, that was sitting next to him on a bed that wasn’t his, on a planet that was foreign to him. “Thank you.” He mumbled again, once more, before letting his head fall onto Alex’s shoulder and eventually falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd I say? It's got something for everyone.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed and I would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, or anything else you feel like sharing.


	7. Alexander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and John talk in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but it's so completely necessary to move the story along. Also, it's basically pure fluff and it came earlier than usual. So I think it makes up for it. I hope you enjoy!

Alexander woke up to a StormTrooper curled up next to him. Which, at first glance, caused him some mild discomfort. But then he remembered where he was and, more importantly, who he was with. This wasn’t a random StormTrooper, not even one of the random hook-ups Alexander was apparently infamous for. This was  _ John _ . And John wasn’t hard and scary like the way Alex had pictured StormTroopers to be when asleep. He was soft and sweet, with his head rested just so slightly on Alex’s chest and his mouth open  _ just enough _ to let hints of a set of perfect teeth shine through. 

And, instead of being smart, Alex stayed there. He just let John sleep because there was no way that ‘bed’ in his prison cell was comfortable enough to get a good night’s rest on and Alex knew first hand that a solid eight hours of sleep was hard to come by. So, instead of being smart and moving away before John could wake up and realize that they were cuddling, Alex just let his new friend (and definitely  _ not _ crush) snore slightly with his legs tangled with Alex’s and one of his hands splayed on Alex’s chest. Certainly not for any selfish reasons, of course. Purely because John was asleep and Alex didn’t want to wake him. It had nothing to do with the fact that a million thoughts were running through his head, each  _ that much _ filthier than the last one-

“Alex?” A small voice came from John and Alex lifted his head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of those tired hazel eyes peering up at him lazily. It made his heart flutter in ways it should not be fluttering. It took a moment, but John seemed to realize where they were and what had happened the night before. When the knowledge did hit him, he pulled away slightly, leaving Alex to mourn the loss but resist the temptation to pull John back to his body. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have- I wasn’t supposed to- I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I guess I just drifted off.”

“It’s fine.” Alexander promises, placing a hand on John’s shoulder. Platonic, of course. “I didn’t mind.”  _ Shit _ . “I mean you were very warm.”  _ Double shit. _ “What I mean to say is that, under the circumstances, I can completely understand why you were tired enough to fall asleep on me and I suppose I was to exhausted to care. Not that I don’t care about you, I do.”  _ Fuckingshitfuck. _ “That is, in a friend sort of way. A good friend sort of way. You’re a good friend. Even though I haven’t known you for long. I think that we have a real connection.”  **_Shut up, Alexander._ ** “As friends. Obviously.”

“Obviously.” Is all John says in reply and Alexander isn’t sure if it’s a blessing or a curse. At least he’d stopped making a complete ass of himself in front of John. More than usual, that is to say. “So, what are we going to do about those spies?” Alexander loved the sound of the word ‘we’ on John’s lips. He wish he could record it and play it over and over until he’d never be able to forget it, no matter how hard he tried. As if he would try.

“Clearly we can’t just let it slide.” Alex shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. To him, it was. “I say we bring it to the general. From there, he can decide what course of action we’ll-” there’s that word again “- take to ensure they don’t get any more information. Whether by stealthily checking out all the people on the base or making a public announcement. It’s hard to predict with him, sometimes. I think that he’d appreciate it if you told him. Maybe he’d even let you start to walk as a free man instead of a prisoner.” The look in John’s eyes told Alexander everything he needed to know about what the former StormTrooper thought of that. The light that came into them was more beautiful than any sunrise on any planet he’d ever been to. 

“You think so?” John mumbled, still tired and Alex found it adorabl- endearin- nice. He found it nice. That’s what he found it. Nothing romantic at all.  _ Yes there is, you fucking liar. _ A little voice in the back of his head screamed. It wasn’t wrong.

“I think that he’d be a fool not to let you. Though, I’m not sure what his second in command would have to say about it. Lee’s a dick, and a pretentious one, at that. But I think that I could get Washington to see my side of things. At least, if Lafayette helps us, then he will. And there’s no reason that Laf would turn you away. He loves you.”  _ Almost as much as I do. _

_ Damnit, Hamilton. Take it down, like, twelve notches.  _

“Who do you think it is?” John asked, sitting up and pressing his back to the stone wall. Alex tried not to dwell too long at the hair that fell in a slightly messy way across his shoulders, but he couldn’t help it. John always wore it back, using the one threadbare hair tie until Alex brought him a small supply. The pulled-back style didn’t do it justice. When it was down -even if it was a little chaotic- it was  _ gorgeous _ . Dark brown curls that were just long enough to be casual but not too long to be untameable. If Alex wasn’t crushing on John for John, he would be crushing on him for his hair.

“Honestly?” Alex asked, sitting up to join him. Hercules would be back soon and he really should be getting out of bed, especially the same bed as John. After all, he had some sort of reputation to abolish. “I think it’s Lee. You wouldn’t know about him, doubt anyone in the First Order does. He’s not a very accomplished member of the Resistance. But he’s been after Washington’s job since day one and if making him seem like an unfit leader by helping the enemy rescue one of their own is what it takes to get the job, I don’t doubt he’d do it.”

“Sounds like another, very determined, person I know. The kind who would do anything to get what they want.” John smirked playfully, nudging Alexander a little bit with his shoulder before kicking his legs off the end of the bed and standing and taking a good look at the room. Alex supposed that it was to dark to make out any of the details last night, and even if a light were on, John seemed like he’d been through too much to pay attention to interior design. As the former StormTrooper’s eyes swept the small room, his eyes landed on a picture by Alex’s bed. It was nice, had a frame and everything, and he’d made sure to keep it in it’s pristine condition. It was a picture of his brother, the only one he had that wasn’t destroyed in the hurricane back on Yavin 4. He and Philip were smiling at the person taking the picture -Alex couldn’t even remember who at this point- and Philip was caught mid-laugh. As he looked at it, and then looked at John looking at it, he couldn’t help but see a resemblance. It might’ve just been the hair, which Philip always wore down and messy, but they looked so similar. It was almost scary.

“My brother.” Alex supplied, standing to join John as he looked at the desk that was firmly next to his bed. Along with the picture, there were a few other trinkets stored there. A few broken pens, his holopad, and the keys to his fighter. All the things important to his heart.

“I know him.” John hushed. 

Alex had to take a moment. What?  _ What?! _ No! John didn’t get to know Philip. Because if he knew Philip that meant that Alex had been right, and for once he didn’t want that to happen. If he was right that meant that Philip was with the First Order and probably thought that his older brother had died or, worse, abandoned him. Alex couldn’t live with that guilt. 

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, and the second round of emotions hit him, these ones less depressing. Sure, if Philip was part of the First Order that meant that his life was really shitty.  _ Alex’s  _ life was pretty shitty, too. But it also meant that he wasn’t dead. That he’d survived, just like Hamiltons always did. They survived, they escaped, and, when they were ready, they kicked some fucking ass. So sure, Philip might be a young StormTrooper. But This gave Alex the opportunity to get him back. To rescue and free and have his brother, the one he’d hoped was dead, come back to life and be with Alex. 

“I’m positive, Alexander.” John nodded, clearly seeing the gears turning in Alex’s head. He wasn’t quite ready to be put into battle when I left, but I remember him. He’s a sweet kid, really. Talks constantly, at least when we’re not training. In retrospect, he’s a lot like you. Has a weird poetry fetish.”

“That’s Philip.” Alexander laughed. He used to read Philip poetry to put him to sleep. It was old stuff, and hard to come by. The little he did have was all handwritten and copied from actual books by the actual people. “John, you don’t get it! This is fantastic news!”

“I’m happy for you, Alexander.” John grinned and threw his arms around Alex, squeezing him into a tight hug which Alex didn’t mind at all. “And trust me, I know what it’s like. Kind of. When I was younger my little sister got shot in a pirate’s attack on my home. I would’ve done anything to bring her back. I still will. But you need to be smart about this, Alex. We can’t just barge in there and demand that King George hand over Philip. We need to be smart about how we do this.” Alex nodded in agreement before turning to his small closet to pull out fresh clothes before, “Oh? And Alex? I’m really happy that you’re happy. It’s a good feeling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so hear me out:
> 
> I'm going to take two chapters off from John and Alex's point of view. Now, before you get mad at me and quit reading, let me tell you why:
> 
> We're going to (my one true love) Maria Reynolds for a chapter! I love her character, both historically and in the musical. Not to mention how excited I am for what's gonna happen with her narrating.
> 
> And, after that, it's going to be your choice! Basically, you all can pick one of the five members of the Revolutionary Squadron that aren't Alex (Hercules, Lafayette, Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy) And I'll be writing chapter nine in their point of view. To vote on who it's going to be, just comment on this chapter. You have until April ninth to vote in the comments (once), then I'm cutting it off! I'll make sure to comment who's in the lead when I upload the Maria chapter, which should be between this Sunday and next Friday, just to give you a heads up. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm so excited for what's coming next, and cast your votes in the comments bellow!


	8. Maria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see from Maria's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay. So this one took me a bit longer than usual to write, but I have a good explanation for why. This chapter is over TWICE what I normally write. Now, it may just be because I love Maria Reynolds and will defend her on my death bed, but there's also a lot that happens in here. I'm really proud of how it turned out and hope you enjoy!
> 
> Fair warning: there's one sentence with Game of Thrones level violence but it needed to be included for the sake of character development. It's very brief, so I'm not going to add any tags but I just wanted to give a heads up.

Maria liked her work the way she liked the people she spent time with; loud, fast paced, and  _ alive _ . And that’s what the First Order was at the moment, alive. Usually, it was training. Maybe she’d accompany a small squad of StormTroopers on a mission that didn’t really need her expert touch, it was more of a way for George to keep her entertained. On good days she’d be sent away on solo missions that lasted any span of time between a day and a month. They needed her because she could do what none of the men in charge of the Order could and she needed them because, while George never bothered to dirty his hands with something as messy as fighting, he was talented with the Force, something she was just beginning to master. She needed his guidance because there was nowhere else. 

What she didn’t need was the constant protests Seabury put up when she got all of the fun missions. While she was off world seducing Resistance members to get information, he was stuck with training the recruits -as if they were there voluntarily- in ways to kind of shoot things. Personally, she believed that it was because she was a woman more than anything else. Whatever. That was her advantage. That’s what set her apart from the people who were unable to do what she could. It was the edge in a fight that caused men to stutter just long enough for her to best them while they were thinking  _ shit, I can’t hit a woman _ . It was their mistake, not hers.

“What is it?” She asked, glancing up at King George -a pretentious title for a pretentious man- from one of her lightsabers. The twin blades were her pride and joy, she’d suffered enough to get them. It had been a grueling month on Ilum spent trying to find the proper materials for both that she’d prefer to forget. Since then she’d cleaned them both daily, inspecting meticulously for any and all problems that might have befallen them. “I can hear you thinking from across the room.”

George turned to her, along with Seabury who never left his side. “There has been awakening, have you not felt it?” He had a weird accent, one that she’d never encountered before or since meeting him. Seabury tried to imitate it as best he could, though fell short every once in awhile. Any time that happened she would laugh just loud enough that he could hear. “It’s only hitting me now, though I have the feeling that it’s been developing for some time, now.”

“It might just have something to do with the fact that your so called ‘loyalists’ in the Resistance aren’t as competent as you believed.” She snarked. She’d met the three men that George had assigned to infiltrate the Resistance years ago, back when it was just a minor inconvenience. All of them were fools, and the fact that George trusted them to be so far under cover almost troubled her. “If you would’ve just sent  _ me _ in like I’d suggested it wouldn’t be a problem-”

“You dare speak against your king like that?” Seabury asked, eyes flaring. “You should be grateful that he let’s you kneel before him and call yourself a Sith-”

“I kneel before no man.” Maria hissed at the annoyance glaring her down. Ever since she joined the Resistance and George had recognized her talents enough to promote her to his apprentice she’d been butting heads with Seabury. Every comment he threw at her was more ignorant and offensive than the last, and she’d told him as much every chance she got.

“What in your petty mind gives you the impression that you can so blatantly express such insubordination?” He scoffed, “Why, I ought to-”

“That will be enough, Samuel.” George declared, barely over a whisper as he gestured for his right hand man to leave. Sputtering, Seabury stalked out of George’s private quarters, fuming as he saw Maria smirking at him. She’d won their small war for the moment, and that was enough. “Why do you believe you could’ve done a better job than three of my most trusted men?” George asked, drawing her attention back to him.

“Besides the fact that each of them are babbling idiots and I’m a trained assassin that makes a living through doing the things other people can’t and worming my way into the Resistance, one member at a time? Not much.”

“Suppose I do send you to Takodana to retrieve our missing StormTrooper. How do you plan on getting onto the base without one the radicals shooting you down? And, assuming you  _ do _ get past their defenses, How long do you honestly think you could traipse around without someone recognizing you. And you still think that you could’ve done a better job than not one or two but  _ three _ members of the Order that are already free from any suspicion and have ways in and out of the base?”

“ _ Yes. _ ” Maria argued, though she was beginning to think that she really shouldn’t, “John, the prisoner, knows me. We’ve established a bond. There’s a better chance that he would trust me, a friend, than three strangers in masks that barge in on him. He would’ve complied easier and we would’ve been out before that damn pilot interfered.”

“ _ A friend _ ?” George sneered, as if the very idea repulsed him, “that, my dear, is one thing you don’t have the luxury of having. You have a choice before you, you can have power or you can have petty relationships. There isn’t room for both. Emotions fuel your ability, yes, but to much of them is dangerous. They can lead to attachments, which can be used against you, making you weak and vulnerable. And, for someone who is so high ranking, you can’t be either of those things. So lose these  _ feelings _ you have for this StormTrooper and do your job or I may soon be in search of a new apprentice, something neither of us want. Now, for more important issues. The people of Corellia, our best ship supplier, are resisting us. I want those opposed to the Order disposed of immediately. Take care of it.”

“Why not just send more StormTroopers?” She asked, not that she was unhappy to have an assignment. It was just that Corellia was under heavy guard after they fought back against the Empire back before the Battle of Yavin. If they wanted to enforce a stricter system, why not just intimidate them?

“I want a message sent.” George responded, looking out of the window, hands clasped behind his red cape. Each member of his inner circle had one, Maria being the first to receive one since he himself. An honor. He’d told her when he’d handed it to her that he’d hated seeing the bloodstains on her clothing and would prefer that they blend in with whatever she wore on missions. She’d took it as a compliment. “I want the people of Corellia to know that we’re capable of and that we have enough power at our expense that we can send our best warrior out to do the small missions like this. Maybe they’ll get it through their head at that point that they can’t beat us. If we’re lucky, the message will spread to the Resistance. Now leave.”

With a graceful nod she bowed out of the room, clicking the two lightsabers to their place on her hips. At least she’d be getting off of the damn base. It felt like it had been forever since she’d been on a mission. In truth it had been a week, maybe a week and a half. Still, she was antsy to be anywhere but there.

“Well, if it isn’t the whore of the First Order.” A sneering voice came from her left. When she looked over she was cursed with the sight of Seabury sitting on a rouge metal crate, a man named James to his right. She’d never bothered to learn much about James, not even his last name. All she knew and all she needed to know was that he was a pretty face and that was where the good qualities stopped. He was annoying, he was crude, and he was aggressive. Basically, three very large turn-offs in Maria’s opinion. Perhaps those were the reasons George had put him in charge of overseeing the battle strategies. Though he was a pest to Maria, he had a talent for planning wars. Maybe it had to do with all the pent up anger. 

“You know, the least you could do when you insult me is to be original.” She scoffed. They’d been through this bit before. Seabury or James or both would call her a degrading name, hoping to get a reaction out of her. Most of the time, she’d let it go. She’d breeze by and let them continue calling after her, attempting to insult her, before they gave up and left to sulk. But she wasn’t in a great mood. The best friend she had in the First Order had been abducted by the Resistance, missing for months, and George had refused to let her help in his rescue. And even if they could get him back, her trainer had just told her to sever all attachments. Maybe it was better that he was gone.

“What are you going to do about it, whore?” James asked, arching an eyebrow. He had a nice face, Maria could admit that much. What a shame that it would be bruised beyond recognition after she swung a few times. With a huff, she set to work. In a second, Seabury was pinned against the metal wall of the base, clawing desperately at his throat as if he could move the invisible hand holding him there. He should’ve realized by then that that wasn’t how it worked. James was a different case. Maria didn’t need a super power to punch him right in the jaw, then again in the eye. Slowly, her efforts began to pay off as his face became more and more deformed. Sure, he got a few swings in. Swings that either missed or were deflected to her arms. By the time she was done, he was a bruised and bloody mess on the floor. Seabury had passed out from lack of oxygen, though she made sure he wasn’t dead.

It felt good to get that off her chest. 

 

Her ship was small. It was small but it was fast and powerful and easily slipped by rebel forces without any of them realizing it was a member of the First Order. One of the reasons she’d chosen this ship in particular was the fact that it reflected her so well. She’d felt a connection with it the moment her hands fell onto the control panel. From then on out it was just her and her TIE fighter. 

She was going unescorted. A small group of StormTroopers were to meet her when she arrived, but there was no further instructions. When she landed she was in charge of the mission and the StormTroopers would only be there to aid her in whatever she needed or protect her as best they could. 

The trip there was boring. The seat was uncomfortable, it was boiling inside her red cloak but she had nowhere else to put it, and she felt the adrenaline rush of beating up Seabury and James beginning to wear off. She could almost hear the voice of George in the background whispering  _ don’t let the feeling go. Let it bubble inside you and save it until you can use it next. Hold on to it for as long as you can until it’s time to let it explode. _

She didn’t like explosions, though. She fought the way that water moved, constantly shifting and changing stance, but never ceasing and never letting up. Explosions and fire were angry bursts of power and emotion, things that were short lived with quick deaths. That wasn’t what she wanted to be. She’d said she’d wanted power and she hadn’t been lying. She wanted everything the Force had to offer and more. But short sputters of power wasn’t the way to use it. It wasn’t enough for her to just  _ have  _ the Force. No, she couldn’t be content with merely possessing it. She wanted to  _ wield _ it. She wanted the Force to become a weapon just like her lightsabers were. She wanted it to bend to her will and flow around her enemies until she drowned them in it’s power. She didn’t want to be a fire. She wanted to be a flood, crashing through them, a force they couldn’t escape from. 

So she took George’s advice, at least partially. She held onto the anger and emotions that were still coursing through her. But, when the time came to use them, she wouldn’t release them all at once. She would let them seep out of her so that she would have a supply constantly, and continue to slaughter her enemies with ease, for however long it would take.

 

Corellia was in shambles. It had been ever since the days of the Rebellion. Empty shells of crashed ships and hovers littered the streets, buildings that weren’t necessary to the First Order’s plans for the planet were left to crumble, and the remains of the parks scattering the city-like planet were left to wither and die. The people of the planet weren’t in much better shape. The ones that Maria could spot as she landed were all shuffling in single file lines, Storm Troopers marching them to whatever location they were headed to.

As her TIE fighter landed on the top of the largest building in the city, one of the few that didn’t look like something had crashed into them, and she exited, nearly 20 StormTroopers flooded through the one door on the roof to greet her. As they lined up, half on one side half on the other, a sole Trooper marched through them, directly to her. On his arm was black stripe, the signal of a higher ranking official. 

“Greetings, General Reynolds.” The Trooper greeted not at all kindly. Not that she’d come to expect it at all. StormTroopers were all monotone voices and no expressionism. Except John and  Ph-L1p. And, while she still had the latter, she still missed John dearly. All she could hope for is that the Resistance wasn’t treating him to poorly. “I’m Captain Adams, leader of operations here on Corellia. From what I understand, the King sent you to help take back control of the prisoners. For that, I thank you. Riots and acts of Rebellion have become more and more frequent.”

“Prisoners?” Maria asked as the two of them began making their way down the stairs of the building, the rest of the Troopers trailing after them. Who exactly were the prisoners? The Corellians that had made attempts to escape? Those who outwardly defended the Resistance? Were people truly stupid enough to do that on a First Order controlled planet?

“The Corellians.” Adams said as if it were the most obvious thing in the galaxy. “Due to the events that happened during the Rebellion, the First Order has spared no expense to ensure that such things don’t happen during our reign. Rest assured, the Corellians are as broken as their planet it. We just need a little extra push,” he gestured to Maria, “to ensure that they stay that way.”

Maria wasn’t sure how she felt about this. Sure, she’d always known that the First Order’s one and only mission was to have complete control of the galaxy. And she’d always been on board with that. She was fine with destroying the people that got in her way. But this… This seemed like it crossed a line, even for her. Enslaving an entire planet in the name of order, that just wasn’t right. The ironic thing was that she would’ve been okay if they’d simply destroyed the entire planet, including everyone on it. She wouldn’t have taken a moment to hesitate. But this? This just seemed a little unnecessarily cruel, even to her. Why not just kill those that rebelled and let the others, the ones that valued their own lives, continue to work themselves. The First Order could just monitor from afar. 

She told herself to bring it up when she next spoke to George.

“As you can see, we pride ourselves on the efficiency of which we can produce ships. It takes a minimum of three days and a maximum of a week to create your standard TIE fighter. A Delta-class DX-9 StormTrooper shuttle can be produced within two weeks. AT-AT’s in three, Assault Landers dispatched every month and, within nine months, Resurgent-class Star Destroyers are ready to be tested in space.”

“You seem to run a tight ship.” Maria nodded, looking around as they reemerged on what appeared to be a ground level floor. Around them, thousands of people were standing in assembly lines, each more miserable looking than the last. They all wore the same thing, gray shirt that looked a little too threadbare to be warm and black work pants. And the chains at their feet. The metal chains that crossed throughout the entire work area, connecting each and every one of them.  _ So they can’t run _ . Maria thought to herself.  _ This isn’t right. _

“We take great pride in that, thank you.” Adams grunted as Maria took a step closer to the nearest prisoner -there was no better word for them- only to realize that it was a little girl. A little girl that couldn’t have been any older than ten . Younger than Maria had been when she’d joined the Order. Too young to be caught on the losing end of a war. It wasn’t just that she was a kid, though. Maria could feel her power. This kid was strong, radiating power that was unlike anything she’d ever seen. She’d come in contact with young children who were Force sensitive before, sure. But not to this extent. This little girl had enough raw power that, with proper training, she could take over Maria’s position when she was ready to give it up. 

“Unchain her.” Maria motioned to the little girl, not even glancing back at the StormTroopers whom moved to fill the request. Instead she looked at the other prisoners, the ones surrounding her. The woman directly to her left that looked to much like the little girl to be anything but a relative. The in front of her who started screaming and begging for them to take him in his place. The others surrounding them who shared worried whispers and frightened glances. Then she looked at the StormTroopers. The men and women clad in heavy armor that were patrolling the lines and pressing their blasters in the backs of anyone who threatened to rebel. Once the little girl was unchained from the rest of them, the two StormTroopers that had taken it upon themselves to free her dragged her by the arms in front of Maria, who waved them away.

“Who are you?” The little girl asked, no fear in her voice. No signs that she was remotely afraid of Maria, even though everyone around her was yelling at her to run. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

“My name’s Maria.” She said, kneeling so that she was on eye level with the girl. “And I’m going to be taking you with me on an adventure.” She unclasped her red cape, swinging it around her body and readjusting it on the little girl. It dragged a little on the ground, but she didn’t mind. The edges were already dirty with blood splatter and burn marks. Dirt wouldn’t affect it. “I’m going to show you how to be a Sith.” The way the little girl’s eyes lit up, with wonder and you would’ve thought Maria had just told her that the war was over. “What’s your name?”

“Annabella.” She grinned and Maria saw two teeth missing. “Everyone calls me Anna, though. Am I going to really learn how to be a Sith? With lightsabers and Force and everything? I thought they were just myths. Daddy told me that they weren’t real. Just stories.”

“They’re real.” Maria said, standing and taking one of the lightsabers from her belt and willing the blade to come out. As the fiery red weapon came to life, Anna’s eyes widened even more and Maria half expected her to burst into applause. “I’m one. And you’re going to be one too, someday. You might even be more powerful than me. You might even be more powerful than King George.” Maria heard a shift come from Adams, but she ignored it. She hadn’t lied. This girl could have the power to take over the First Order. And Maria was going to shape her into the person who could do just that. “There’s a catch though, Anna.” She added and sheathed the blade. “You’re going to have to leave behind your family. They can’t come with us.” 

The smile on Anna’s face faltered, and she turned back to face the two people who’d been screaming after her the loudest. “I… I don’t know about that. I don’t want my mommy and daddy to be alone.”

“Anna, don’t you see?” Maria bent down again, gently turning her face so that they were making eye contact again. “If we take them with us they won’t be safe. King George doesn’t like it when new people join his inner circle without him knowing. But I’m sure he’ll make an exception for you. You’re special, Anna. And if you stay here you’ll be wasting all the power you have.”

“Can I say good bye, then?” Anna asked, fiddling with the edges of the cape, poking her finger through a hole that was singed at the edges, the product of a blaster’s shot that had come a little to close. 

“No, we need to get going. I’m going to have Captain Adams right here take you up to my TIE fighter,” Anna’s eyes lit up again, “there’s enough room for you to sit on seat with me and I can teach you a little bit on how to fly it. Maybe you’ll get your own one day. I’ll be up in just a moment.” She nodded at Adams who placed a hand on Anna’s shoulder, which the girl shuddered away from before allowing herself to be guided by the Captain. 

“You’re a monster!” A voice came from behind Maria, and she rose and turned to face the person who spoke. Anna’s mother. “You and the entirety of the First Order! Taking our children, keeping us in chains! The galaxy is going to hell because of people like you and King George!” In an instant, she was unbound and set on her knees in front of Maria, the duel lightsabers already out and poised for the strike. “Do it,” The woman panted, tears brewing in her eyes, “Do it and I will thank you. It’s a better fate than being forced to work mindlessly like drones under the rule of a crazy man in a crown and a woman who thinks she’s entitled to the galaxy.” Her head was off the moment she finished the sentence. The room was quiet around Maria as she rose, and it seemed like everyone was holding their breath and waiting for her to speak.

“This is what the First Order will do.” She said, not even a whisper could be heard. It was only her, addressing her audience. “We will take your children for our cause, we will slaughter you own in front of you, should they step out of line. This is the fate of those who oppose us, and it will always be that way. You think that the Resistance can save you?  _ This _ is what will become of those who sympathize and join with them. They are thieves, murderers, and rogues. They will do nothing but break and destroy, until there is nothing left. They will bow to the First Order, and these as the last of their days. Then there will be nothing but the First Order, training the next generation, and the one after that. Until our ideals are those of the galaxies. Then try to oppose us, and we will squash you without feeling a ripple effect at all. The First Order will be power, and the Resistance will be  _ nothing. _ ”

With that, she turned, lightsabers closing and reattaching to her hips. The moment she was through the doors that led to the staircase and up to the roof, she held up a hand and the doors slammed shut behind her.

She was trembling. She’d just killed a woman and had been thanked for it. That was new. For the first time in a very long time, she was scared. She was scared of what had become of the First Order, which had started as a way to bring power to them, not reeling in innocent people suffer to the point of asking for death. She was scared of the First Order and, above all, she was scared of the King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fact: Maria Reynolds had a daughter.  
> Fact: Nobody knows the daughters name.  
> Fact: Anna was the second most used girl name in the 1800s.  
> Fact: I now declare that Anna was the nam of Maria's daughter.  
> Fact: I really love Anna's character and I have plans for what she will become.  
> Fact: No, Anna is not actually Maria's daughter in this story, that's just how I'm viewing their relationship.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and, as promised, I'm announcing who will be narrating next week's chapter. It is, by an overwhelming number of votes . . .
> 
>  
> 
> Our dear Peggy!


	9. Peggy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We hear Peggy's side of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter's a little bit shorter than usual (around 300 words) but I feel like the length of last chapter makes up for it. If any of you want to revisit Maria, Peggy, or any of the other character's points of view later in the story, just tell me in the comments and I'll see what I can do!

“I’m just saying that Alex has been acting super weird ever since John got released.” Peggy sighed, sitting on the counter of Angelica, Eliza, and her’s kitchen. Angie was pulling her hair back and Eliza was buckling the tight belt on her waist, where the two halves of her staff rested. The three of them were supposed to be getting ready for a formal meeting with Washington. He’d sent Lafayette, who’d said he’d found some more information on the identity of the supposed ‘traitors.’ 

“You can’t exactly blame him, Peg. He thought his brother was dead for years.” Eliza stepped in, hair already pulled into her usual braids. She looked pretty then, with baggy clothes, hair loosely tied up, and the remnants of yesterday’s mascara still vaguely on her eyes. It was simply unfair how beautiful she was when she tried. The men on the base, and a handful of women, were constantly telling Hercules this much. 

They were a good couple, Hercules and Eliza. And the way they told the story of how they met, it sounded like the most romantic thing in the world. It honestly wasn’t, but Peggy would never say that to a soul. It was actually a little bit frightening. Hercules had been doing a supply run to Jakku. Nothing fancy, just picking up some weapons when he saw a hoard of StormTroopers practicing on the planet. Before he knew what was happening, he was captured.

This was usually the part where Eliza would step in. She’d explain how her home world, Hapes, was heavily influenced by the First Order and that the majority of their younger population were recruited to become officers or the like. She was the one in charge of monitoring him on the base he was being held on. Not exactly the most most noble of places to meet your future fiance. But, every day when Eliza came into his cell promptly at noon, Hercules would talk to her. Granted, even they would admit that it was anything but kind during the first few times. But slowly he wore her down. He convinced her that the First Order was wrong. Together, they escaped and he helped her into the First Order. 

Peggy had been friends with Hercules for about a year before that. She, Alex, Lafayette, and Hercules were a tight knit group and the idea of a new person coming in and crashing it all had scared her. Then she’d met Eliza. From the moment they’d met they were practically connected at the hip. And so, when Hercules and Eliza had announced that they were dating, she, Alex, Lafayette, and Angelica (who had joined them by that point) couldn’t be happier for the couple.

“Yeah, well I don’t like it. It’s taking up all of his time and we have a war to plan.” Peggy huffed. She didn’t like John, not nearly as much as Eliza or Alex did. Angelica agreed with her. The two of them were nervous about having a StormTrooper joining their ranks to fight alongside them in battle. It was different than when Eliza had joined them. StormTroopers underwent conditioning trials, basically making them blank slates for the First Order to mold however they saw fit. And, though John had shared that he had gone through a different process because he wasn’t taken as a child, that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t just snap back at any given moment. In Peggy’s opinion, it was perfectly okay to be careful about what information they divulged around him.

“And John can help with that, you realize.” Eliza pointed out. “My information’s old and probably out of date. He’s fresh from the Order and, from what I understand, he was friends with people very high up on the food chain. You’ve heard of Maria Reynolds, right?”

“Who hasn’t?” Angelica chimed in. “First female sith to have any sort of notable significance. She has my respect for her power. Her ideals? Not so much. But I like that she’s going against history.”

“Of course you would, Angie.” Peggy rolled her eyes, tugging on a boot. “But yeah, I think we’ve all heard of her.”

“Apparently she had a decent relationship with John. Something like that could come in handy if we ever had to go against her in a fight. She might be evil but I doubt she’d be prepared to strike down a former friend.”

“Don’t underestimate a sith, ‘Liza.” Peggy warned. “They work with the Order. And the people in the First Order, the ones raised in it, are a bunch of heartless sons of bitches.”

 

“I take it that you all know why you’re gathered here today.” Washington announced as he took his seat at the head of the long table. Surrounding it was Martha Washington, sitting to the right of her husband; Lee on the left; the Revolutionary Crew scattered around the table; John sitting next to Alexander; and Madison, Jefferson, and Burr all sitting next to one another at the far end. “Martha and I believe that we’ve found out that traitors among our ranks.”

“Well who is it?” Alexander asked impatiently, tapping his foot on the stone floor and sending a pointed look at Lee, who thankfully didn’t notice. There was a small  _ oof _ that came from Alex, and a sharp glare directed at John which Peggy took to mean that John had stomped on Alex’s foot.  _ Maybe he isn’t so bad after all _ .

“Well, after gathering information from an anonymous source we have reason to believe that the three perpetrators that John had so kindly described for us are, in fact, Mr. Jefferson, Madison, and Burr.”

Each head in the room snapped to the three men sitting at the end of the table, all with their mouths open and eyes wide. As if someone flipped a switch, the three of them began speaking, all claiming that it was a horrible misconception and that they would never be caught dead working an organization as vile as the First Order. Peggy noticed Alexander sitting back in his chair, enjoying the small smile. 

Angelica, sitting on Peggy’s left, had an angry look on her face, and Peggy could see her mentally connecting the dots. Eliza, just past her, was pursing her lips as if she were trying to remember anything that could accuse them. 

“Now, seeing as we have no solid evidence, we’ll be holding you in cells until this whole mess is cleared up. If you are truly innocent, you’ll have no reason to fear. But, until we can prove either your innocence or your guilt, the safest place for you is down there. Lafayette, Alexander, Hercules, if you would kindly escort these gentlemen to the prison cells.”

Before Peggy even knew what was happening, the three men were rushing out of the room, sprinting for the door. The Revolutionary Crew were the first ones up to follow them, with George, John, and Martha not far behind. Lee was nowhere to be found. Alex was leading the charge, with Angelica and Hercules at his sides. Angie had already whipped out one of her blasters and set it to stun, firing freely at the escapees and trying not to hit the hoards of people in their way, scrambling to get out of their path. 

“Daddy!” A small voice came from Peggy’s right, “What’s happening.” Looking over her shoulder, Peggy saw Theodosia Burr desperately trying to keep up with the group, chasing after her father. George gave Martha a quick nod and the woman rushed over to both hug the young girl and keep her from following.

“Stop running now, Jefferson!” Alex shouted, his own blaster gleaming in his hand as the group made it out of the Castle. From the looks of it, Jefferson, Madison, and Burr were heading to the tarmac where all of the ships and fighters were stored. Peggy couldn’t let that happen. If they got into space, they could be halfway across the galaxy in the blink of an eye. Peggy sprinted off the path, pushing herself to go faster than ever. As she swatted bushes and branches out of her way, she stumbled onto the tarmac, making a mad dash for her x-wing. Scrambling inside, she pushed her activation code into the dashboard, driving it without lifting off the ground and shouting at any wandering people to clear the area. 

Suddenly, the group burst off the path, only to find Peggy with her ship’s blasters aiming directly for them. “Get on the ground!” She shouted, the com in her ship repeating it through speakers. Instead of obeying her command, Jefferson and Madison moved to the left, with Burr going to the right. Though it had one of the largest ammo supplies in the fleet, Peggy’s ship was also on the slower side. She turned it as quick as she could after Burr, firing whenever she was sure nobody was in her way, but it was slow going and, eventually, she just jumped out, leaping onto the ground and rolling out of it. 

“Come here you motherfucker!” She heard Alex’s voice coming from behind her, and she saw that he and John were chasing after Burr with her. On the other side of the ship, Angelica, Eliza, Hercules, Lafayette, and George were taking on Madison and Jefferson, though she couldn’t tell who was winning through the wheels of the ship.

Pulling out a blaster from his own belt, Burr aimed as best he could while running in the opposite direction. As the four of them exchanged some shots, most of them missing with the exception of one grazing Peggy’s leg and one barely scratching Burr’s bicep, the three of them stood around Burr, who had his back pressed to the metal wall of a large transporter. Seeming to realize the predicament he was in, Burr looked at his blaster once, at each of the people surrounding him, and raised his blaster, firing directly at Alex. 

A gut wrenching “No!” escaped from John, and Peggy watched in what felt like slow motion as he step forward, arms outstretched, as if to block the shot, only for the blaze of light and destruction to stick midair. The four of them held their breath, all looking at the line of blue light that hung mid air in the middle of them.

“Move, dammit!” John shouted, Revolution Leader quickly getting out of the way a millisecond before the blast resumed its course through the air. With all of them momentarily distracted, Peggy held up her blaster and stunned the everloving shit out of Aaron Burr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah! Brownie points to anyone who saw THAT coming. (I did allude to it a little bit earlier. How well I did, that's up for debate. But I think I did an okay job.)
> 
> Sorry that this chapter was a little shorter, but I just finished a show at school and have had 0 time to sit down and write in the past week.
> 
> In other news: due to the popular demand for Hercules and Eliza's background (which I obviously touched on during this chapter) I've begun a one-shot narrated by both of them about how they met. Including familiar faces such as: Alex, Maria, King George, and maybe a little hint of John, too. If any of you are interested, I'll make sure to announce when it's up, though it'll probably be after this story is done. 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed!


	10. Alex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The post-Aaron-Burr-totally-meant-to-shoot-me-but-my-hot-space-boyfriend-used-the-Force-to-stop-him-and-now-I-don't-know-what-to-do chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie dokie, so I wan't really satisfied with last chapter, so I wrote this to make up for it. It's an extra 500 words with a scene that I think all of you are going to enjoy. That is, if you're reading this story for the Lams, like I initially intended it to be read for.

Burr was a sobbing mess, and Alexander gave absolutely  _ zero _ fucks about it. How dare Burr? How dare he actually try to  _ shoot _ Alex. Sure, he’d told a tall tale or two about the same event, but they were nothing more than lies. Playful rumors to discuss with his friends. This was an actual murder attempt. Of course, Alex had experienced those before. He flew into battle with the Revolutionary Squad constantly, fully knowing that death was a certain and scary possibility. But this was Aaron Burr, someone he’d called a friend, willingly aiming his blaster at Alex’s stomach and firing. If it weren’t for John, he’d be dead. 

_ John. _

Alex wasn’t sure what to make of him at the moment. On the one hand, he felt betrayed. He felt like John had been keeping a secret from him that he decided then and there that he was entitled to know. They’d talked so much over the past weeks, and Alex had just begun to feel that maybe something between them would work. Something maybe more than a friendly sort of relationship. But this flipped everything upside down and reversed and Alex didn’t know what to think.

But on the other hand, the rational one, he remembered something John had told him what felt like a lifetime ago. 

_ “Do you believe in Destiny?” Alex asked, genuinely curious. “That there’s something more powerful than anyone steering us all in a certain direction?” _

_ “You mean the Force?” John asked. _

_ “Yes and no.” Alex shrugged. “I think the Force and Destiny are two different things.” _

_ “In that case, I don’t think either is real.” _

If John had known that he had control over this mystical power, why would he tell Alex that it wasn’t real. He had to have not known. Which would mean that he hadn’t been lying. 

Which would mean that the reason he’d discovered this power was because he was trying to protect Alex from getting shot.

He shouldn’t be reading into this as much as he was. Alex told himself over and over that if the blaster had been aimed at Peggy, John would’ve taken the same measures to ensure her safety. Except, she wasn’t the one who almost died. It had been Alex and John had saved him. Like some sort of night from a children’s story, he’d swooped in and saved the day.

Nope. Nope nope nopety nope nope.

_ Stopping that train of thought right there. Bigger things to focus on. Bigger things like the traitor of a man sitting in front of you, Alex. _

Burr had been the only one of the three that had been captured. Jefferson and Madison had stolen a ship and taken off before the rest of them could even take a guess as to where they were headed. Burr hadn’t been so luck. After the four of them had taken a moment to gape at the scene that had played out in front of them, Peggy came around to her senses and stunned the fuck out of Burr. Alex was tempted to clap when it happened.

He had no intentions of telling the general about what had happened. Not because he didn’t trust the general; because he didn’t trust the rest of the Resistance. The lot of them had only  _ just _ begun warming up to the idea of John, a former StormTrooper, in their ranks. To learn that he also had powers over the Force, something that a lot of people in the Resistance were afraid of -with good reason, mind you- could shatter all chances of anyone willingly accepting John among them. 

Peggy didn’t seem to share the sentiment.

As soon as Burr his the ground, she’d begun running. By the time she reached the other four, Jefferson and Madison were gone. Washington had asked her to tell them exactly what happened, and she’d spared no detail. She’d gone on for a solid minute about John and his jedi powers. 

George had thought it best that John and Alex be separated for a while, so that Alex, in his own words ‘didn’t do anything stupid.’ What the fuck kind of stupid things could he do? Did George think that he was going to try to smuggle John off planet or something? Either way, it ended with John in a location that had yet to be disclosed to him, and Alex in the cell John had just left (he now permanently occupied the bed across from Alex. Hercules had just moved out.) and was now the residence of Aaron.

Any sort of happiness Alex had ever felt to Burr was lost. Now, he couldn’t care any less that the man was on the metal ledge, tears streaming down his face.

“I hate you.” Alex hissed at the man, crossing his arms and leaning against the metal wall opposite of where Burr was seated. “In fact, I don’t just hate you. I  _ despise _ you. I loathe you, Aaron Burr.”

“Do you ever shut up?” Aaron snapped, lifting his head from his hands. His words sounded the way a bite would, if it could talk. Why he was the pissy one, Alex hadn’t the slightest clue. He hadn’t been the one that was nearly shot. He hadn’t been the one that had almost died. 

“Excuse my rambling,” Alex bit back, twice as hard. “I was just  _ shot at _ by a man that I had  _ trusted.  _ Clearly, I’d made a mistake.”

“I don’t need a retelling of yesterday’s events, Alexander. If you remembered, I was there. Not that it would matter with you. I’m sure your reflection would run away if it could, from all of the stories you constantly repeat.”

“The amazing thing is, you don’t even seem to give a shit.” Alex pursed his lips, deciding that if Burr was going to throw insults, he was going to hurtle them back twice as hard. “I’m not talking about you caring about your reputation or anything, you never do that. You don’t care what people think. I’m talking about Theodosia.”

Burr stiffened.

“Don’t you  _ dare  _ bring my child into this argumen-”

“Excuse my lack of caring.” Alex rolled his eyes. “For a man who preached over and  _ over _ about how much he loved his family, about how he would do anything he could to protect them, you don’t seem to care about the effect that this could have on her. I like Theo, have ever since I came into her company. She’s a kind person, Burr. A  _ good _ person. You don’t deserve to call her your family after this shit you just pulled. People are going to look at her differently now. They’re going to look at her with either fear or pity, and I guarantee you, I swear to you right here and now that she would hate nothing more. People are either going to pity her for her father being evil, a villain, a spineless little fucker who promised to work with the Resistance until the day he died. Either that, or they’re going to be scared that she’s going to turn out exactly like him. So please, tell me again how you care about your family more than anything.”

“You know nothing!” Burr shouted, springing to his feet. He probably would’ve tried to attack Alex, had he not been chained to the wall. “Everything I do, everything I’ve ever done, has been for my family! The fact that you could even dare to say otherwise shows how little you know! Alexander, you can’t possibly know the feeling of being willing to do anything if it meant protecting those you love.”

“ _ You _ have no idea!” Alex was yelling now. He shouldn’t be giving Burr the satisfaction, this was probably what he wanted. He wanted Alex to get angry and explode. But it’s not like he could help it. Sure, Burr didn’t know the full extent of his backstory, but they had been decent-enough friends. Acquaintances, at least. The chances were high that Aaron had at least known the vaguest outline of Alex’s life. So the very notion that Alex  _ didn’t _ know what it was like to love your family. He missed Philip with every fiber of his being. Every moment, he was in the back of his mind. Like an idea that plagued him until eternity. The thought of  _ maybe there  _ was _ something I could’ve done to stop this _ scared Alex. It scared him a lot. He would gladly fight an army by himself, if it meant getting Philip back. “You lost your wife, boo hoo for you, but you have Theo. You have this beautiful, amazing child that looks at you like you pieced together the galaxy. She told me once that, when she grew up, she wanted to be you. Not like you, not have the same job, she wanted to  _ be _ you. She told me that she wanted to be brave and loyal to the cause and protect her family until the day she died. You had that, that absolutely raw kind of devotion, and you threw it away! What did you do it for? What did the Crazy King George promise you? Money, power, fame-”

“Theodosia!” Burr interrupted, a mad look in his eye. His hands were fidgeting, and he had a thin layer of sweat making its way down his forehead.

“Are you not listening?” Alex demanded, “You  _ have  _ her. She would fly into the sun if it meant protecting you-”

“Not Theodosia junior,” Aaron said cautiously, “Theodosia senior. She’s alive, has been this entire time. They’re holding her on some base on some planet in some star system, maybe in another galaxy. And I haven’t the slightest clue where. All I know is that if I didn’t report to Jefferson once a week with any information I found, they were going to kill her. For real. Not that it matters anymore. She’s probably already dead, seeing as we got caught.” 

 

“Well do you think he was telling the truth?” John asked, sitting on his bed on the opposite side of the room. He’d been released less than an hour ago, George’s only statement to Alexander before letting John out was a short ‘don’t be stupid’ and a nod. 

“Of course he’s not telling the truth!” Alex argued, legs crossed and arms propped on his knees. Since they’d gotten back to the room, Alex had been avoiding eye contact. He was irrationally afraid that if he looked at John, he wouldn’t like what he saw. Like it would be someone completely new sitting across from him. “I mean, I don’t think he is. But what if he is? I feel like if she did die, it would be on me. I knew she was out there and didn’t do anything.”

“Then we try to rescue her.” John decided. Since the announcement of Philip being alive, Alex and John had been planning the rescue mission for him. The Revolutionary Squadron had agreed to let John join them, though some were more hesitant than other. But, after Alex reminded them that John was the only one who knew his way around the base that they were going to, they all came around to the idea of John being with them. And, after today… What? What they think after today? Would they think it made them more unstoppable? Would they see it as a hazard? Alex couldn’t bear that. John was crucial to their plan. “If she’s on the same base as Philip is, and I would think she would be, it was home base, we rescue her while we’re there for Philip.”

Alex looked up to face him, and took a relieved breath. Nothing had changed. Every freckle was still in place, he still had the same dopey smile that never seemed to falter, and -most important- his eyes hadn’t changed. They still gleamed with wonder, like he was experiencing the galaxy for the first time. Alex hadn’t realized how much he missed those eyes in the few hours they were apart until he got a taste of them again. 

“What are you thinking?” John asked, getting up and moving to sit next to Alexander, placing a gentle hand on his thigh. 

“You stopped that blaster,” Alex pointed out, as if John hadn’t been there, “You told me that you didn’t believe in the Force and then you stopped that blaster. Now, I don’t know about you, but the only way I know of that someone could have stopped a blaster bolt midair would be if they had the Force. So I’m going to be assuming that you hadn’t known you had those powers. And that makes me a little bit nervous. That actually makes me  _ a lot _ more nervous than a little bit. And that’s stupid, because you’re still you. Except, you’re not. You seem a little bit more than usual. Not more you or more jedi-like. Just… More. And more is different. And different is scary. I hate different. Not that I could hate you, but just different in general. My world turned upside down when I joined the Resistance, and that was scary. That was a a bad kind of different. I just haven’t decided if this different is bad or not.”

“I don’t want it to be different.” John rushed. “I liked the way we were. I liked that you trusted me. I might have the Force, I don’t know. It could’ve just been some crazy fluke. Either way, if it means that I’d have to lose you to keep it, I would give it up in a heartbeat.”

It had seemed like they were drifting closer the whole monologue, and Alex hadn’t realized they actually  _ had _ been until his nose was an inch from John’s. Until they were close enough to be sharing the same air. They were staring at each other for an eternity. And there was Alex’s head, tilting just that much. Accepting the imminent future of John’s mouth on his-

_ Knock knock knock. _

_ Of. Fucking. Course. _

“Alex open the fucking door!” The unmistakable voice of Theodosia shouted through the wood. With an annoyed sigh and a few choice words under his breath, he got off the bed - _ the bed he and John had just been about to  _ kiss _ on- _ and opened the door, letting the youngest Burr inside. 

“What the hell do you want, Theo?” Alex spat. Okay, he probably should’ve been a little bit more sympathetic to the girl who just witnessed her father be captured by people she had spent most of her life with. But he’d been about to kiss John. He’d been about to kiss John, and she’d interrupted them.

“Tell me what happened.” She commanded, dipping underneath his arms and moving to the center of the room. “Tell me anything and everything that has to do with what the hell just happened!” 

“Theodosia, right?” John said, standing up and raising his hands gently, signalling an unspoken truce.  _ Those hands have so many other things they could be doing right now _ Alex thought bitterly.

“You don’t get to talk,” Theo hissed, “You’re a StormTrooper. You probably knew this was going on the entire time and didn’t bother to tell me. Do you know what sort of a dick move that is?”

“Theo, please?” Alex begged, “Can we do this later? I promise I’ll tell you all about what happened to your dad and your mom and-” Oh.  _ Damnit _ .

“Mother?” Theo asked, giving Alex the glare equivalent of shooting him with a blaster.  _ Truly her father’s daughter  _ he thought before taking it back and internally apologizing. Not the time for those jokes. “Alex, what’re you talking about? What’s happening that involves my mother?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, I can hear the groans of all of you in the distance! That's right! Kissing tease! Oldest trope in the book! I promise, though, my gay space nerds WILL kiss, and they will kiss in the most dramatic way possible (as Alex would.) It just can't happen yet. But trust me, it took all of my will power not to let it happen. The only thing that kept me going was me, staring directly at my plot chart (yes, I use one because I am a loser and will forget any and everything if I don't write it down) and telling myself to wait for it.
> 
> On a slightly unrelated note, I'm officially announcing that there will be a sequel, and probably a third one after that. ('cause, you know, Star Wars) BUT, between the time I finish this and start the next one, four one shots will be published. Each of them are already planned out and will be, in this order, 
> 
> One for Hercules and Eliza (their backstory, due to popular demand)
> 
> One for Maria Reynolds (because I love her and I've gotten some very kind reviews on the way I wrote her character. It will be necessary to read for all of the events of the sequel to make sense)
> 
> Another for Hercules and Eliza (most likely the shortest of the four, but still cute. This one will be their wedding, an optional one put only in my line-up because I love the pairing.)
> 
> And, finally, one narrated by Theo. (Again, also necessary to follow all of the events in the sequel.)
> 
> Basically, I just really love this AU and I have all of these ideas flitting around in my head on how to expand the universe while still tying it all back in with what's currently happening. 
> 
>  
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed and I can't wait to see you for the next chapter!


	11. John

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, snap! Who's that? Don't touch me, I'm to hot! Yes!
> 
> I bet none of us were thinking that there was going to be a chapter up so soon! Yet, here we are. Be aware, though, it's basically just a filler chapter with some important information that is totally necessary. (I promise that there's some Lams at the end to make up for last chapter's tease, though!)

John was shell shocked. More than that. He felt… hollow wasn’t the right word for it. Because, while he was  _ definitely _ feeling something inside, emptiness wasn’t it. He felt more complete, more whole, than he had in a long time. He had the Force. Or, at least, a small amount of control over it. 

It felt weird, knowing he had this power. He knew Maria had the ability to move and levitate things, he couldn’t deny that, but he’d never really bought into the whole  _ Force _ Force thing. He’d never thought that there was some there was some magical power that ran through every living being and connected them all or whatever. But now, now it was different. Now he could feel it. He couldn’t exactly explain it, but it was like there was a buzz in the back of his head. It was like he could  _ feel _ the people around him existing. It made no sense, not even to John, but he was suddenly a thousand times more aware of the people around him. Like something had awakened inside him and now refused to return to sleep.

And then there was Alex. Alex who was unlike everyone else, in every single way. While everyone else around him was a buzz, Alex was a constant screeching noise that took up all of his free mind whenever he was near. Not that it was bad. Screeching wasn’t the best term, but there was no other way to describe it. All of his thoughts were about Alex whenever the pilot was around. And not in the way that John focused consciously on nothing but him, but thoughts were consuming him. It was like his mind was at war with itself. Half of it worked as it always had, and the other half knew nothing but Alexander.

He wasn’t complaining. Not a lot, anyway. He liked Alex. He liked him a lot. And, the other day when they had almost kissed, John had wanted nothing more in the world. Since then, he’d become even more hyper aware of things around him. It was insane, and it was driving him a little bit crazy.

“John, dear?” The sweet voice of Martha Washington peeped from next to him. The two of them were resting in a small field, not far from the actual base. It was right on the waterfront, at the bottom of a hill that he could just see the edge of the tarmac over from their place. George had apparently suggested to Martha that she talk to John. Why, he wasn’t sure. She’d just asked him to come on a walk with her by the lakeside to watch the floating lilies. “You’ve been quiet for some time. Is there something on your mind?”

John liked Martha. Between the little he’d seen of her and the stories Alex and the rest of the Revolutionary Squad (a name John gave a small chuckle at every time he heard it) had shared with him, he’d grown fond of the ageing woman. According to Lafayette, she was the resident mother of the base, while George was the resident dad. (Alex argued that Hercules and Eliza were his one true mom and dad friends.) (Lafayette had shot back a quick mention to a time when Alex had accidentally called George ‘dad.’ Alex had dropped the argument after that.)

“A lot, actually.” He said carefully. Something about this woman and the fact that she managed to look youthful, even with her graying hair and slightly wrinkled face. “It’s just a lot to take in and-”

“And you’re head is all filled up with the voices of everyone on the planet.” Martha finished, leaving John gaping.

“You have the Force?” He asked, surprised at the old woman. She had never displayed any levitational powers before, and Alex had never mentioned it. Had she simply been keeping is a secret?

“In a way.” She nodded, plucking a flower from the ground and adding it to the mismatched contents of the basket she was carrying. Among them were books, fruits, and other plants she found interesting enough to take from the ground. “I don’t possess the same set of powers that you do. I can’t move things with my mind or tell people what to think. But I can hear people, the same way you can. And I can see what they’re hearts are like. You, for example. You’re strong, John. Not just with the Force, but with your loyalty and dedication to doing what’s good and right. And I can see love in your heart, too. The good, raw kind that shows up when you’ve only just met the person. I’ve seen it since the first day you came here.”

“That’s amazing.” John’s eyes were wide, taking in the sight before him.

“Everyone’s a little bit different.” Martha continued. “Some people tend to work better without emotional attachment, others find them to be helpful, able to lend some of their own power. You see, John, everyone has a certain amount of power with the Force inside them. Some of us, like your Alex, just don’t realize it’s there. People like me, Force Sensitive, we’re called, can tap into it in a way that’s a little bit in between. And people like you, John, have full access to it. You have the potential to do amazing things with your power. You could change the galaxy, if you could learn to master it.”

“Can you teach me?” He asked, feeling a bit foolish to be asking a woman twice his age to help prepare him for whatever battles he would eventually be facing.

“I can show you all I know, dear. But everything I know is not everything you will learn. Your power exceeds my own, and I foresee you growing into a wonderful Jedi some day. The ways of a true Jedi Knight are something I cannot teach you, my boy. You will find that path on your own.”

 

It was a painstakingly long process, that involved less slashing things with a lightsaber than John had been hoping for. Martha was a good teacher, a patient teacher. Each morning, before dawn, John would climb out of his bed and dress, cast a quick look at Alex, asleep either at his desk or on his bed, -more often the former- and be on his way.

He hadn’t learned much in his first week besides how to sit still for an entire hour and attempt meditation. Martha had given him advice on how to do it correctly (flat surface, a rock in each hand for balance, breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth, etc. etc.) yet he was still frustrated in their lack of doing. It wasn’t even until an entire week had passed that she offered to help him with telekinesis. 

It was difficult, to put it lightly. She only let him work on it for an hour (“to seek to use the Force for attack is the Sith way, John. You must first learn to connect with it to truly be able to bend it to your will.”) before she’d tell him to sit down and meditate some more. Once in awhile, she’d hand him a blindfold, toss rocks in his general direction, and tell him to catch them. So far he’d caught three of the billion she’d thrown. 

It was hard, and it was annoying, but John wouldn’t rather be anywhere else in the galaxy. If this really was a part of who he was, he wanted to learn how to control it, how to use it to his advantage. And, on top of that, there was the added deadline of the heist they were planning to bust out Theodosia Sr. and Philip. He had three weeks to prepare for a battle he would most likely be facing Maria in. Maria, who’d been training with the Force since she could hold a lightsaber. Who knew far more of its tricks than John or even Martha did. But he didn’t need to beat her, he just needed to stall her long enough for the rest of the group to get them out. Still, it would be far from easy.

“John, I can hear you thinking.” Martha whispered, and John didn’t doubt she could. She’d explained the way her powers worked to him, how she couldn’t hear the exact words formed in their minds but she could piece together the overall mood they were in. “And thinking doesn’t go well with meditating. Why don’t you tell me what’s running through your head so that we can get back to our exercise?”

“It’s been a week,” John said, dropping his hands from his knees to the ground and watching the small stones he’d been holding roll a bit. “And I’m not saying that I haven’t learned anything, I’ve learned so much because of you. I guess my question is, when do we start to get to the more interesting things? Like the sort of things the old Jedi from the legends would do. Lightsabers and such, you know?”

“I understand what you’re asking for, John,” Martha nodded, “but you have to realize that learning how to use the Force takes time. You can’t just jump into it. It doesn’t work like that. To take the easy route, to cut corners where they shouldn’t be cut, will only lead you to despair. That’s what King George has done. He has great power, yes, but I don’t think he knows exactly what he’s doing with it. To best him, you must first master what he has not. And, yes, that may involve some patience. But trust me, John, when the time does come for you to begin the next phase of your training, you will be far more prepared than King George was.”

 

“I’m to tired for this.” John groaned, letting his head fall forwards and hit the metal surface of the table in the Mess Hall. Martha had released him for the hour, instructing him to get a hearty lunch to prepare for their next session. Personally, John just thought that she hated the idea of food going to waste. She was in charge of most of the domestic parts of the Resistance, including the kitchen staff and living arrangements. That didn’t mean that she couldn’t hold her own in a battle, though. John had seen her sparring with some of the older fighters, and she’d quite literally kicked their asses.

“Boo hoo, your life is so hard.” Angelica rolled her eyes and dug her fork into the greens she had in front of her. She’d deny it, she’d deny it in a heartbeat, but she and John had grown closer since he’d been released. She was, dare he say, one of his friends. 

“Fight me,” he said with a smile, flicking a small leaf of… something at her, “you’re just pissy because you guys have been doing drills and repairs all day.”

“And  _ you’re _ just pissy because you don’t have a laser sword yet.” Hercules countered for Angelica, earning him a small slap on the back by the latter. 

“Ladies, ladies, both of you are pretty,” Alex said, taking the seat next to John. Angelica said something about sexism and women’s standards, and John would’ve been agreeing had he not been occupied with staring. They hadn’t exactly talked about what had happened that day Theo had burst in, and they hadn’t had time after. Theodosia had kicked John out of the room the minute her mother had come into the conversation, and it had never come up since. Maybe it was just a fluke. John hoped it wasn’t just a fluke. 

“Quit trying to get in his pants, Alexander.” Lafayette laughed, clapping his hands and wagging his eyebrows suggestively. “Not that he would object, am I wrong John?” 

He could feel himself blushing, the rush of blood blazing to his cheeks burning even harder under the under the silent gaze of everyone at the table. Though, John was relieved to realize that Alex was under equal gaze scrutiny. There were a few giggles, (Peggy and Lafayette) some hushed mutters, (Angelica and Hercules) and a clap or two (Eliza).

Alex was the first to speak again. “Shut the fuck up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all of the love I'm getting from you guys and my rigorous planning technique. (I've already planned out the end of this, and begun the first one-shot between this and the sequel. (I'm, like, 1,000 words in so far.)
> 
> Anyway, I love all of the love you guys are giving this story and I can't wait to see you next chapter. (I'll begin the last leg of out story because I'm done with domestic!Resistance!HamilFam and want to get back into the action.)


	12. Alex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Revolutionary Crew prepares for battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! Wooh buddy do I have news! So I totally wrote this as a way to distract myself from the news that my English teacher (whom is amazing and I love dearly) just got Hamilton tickets for May 4th. Which, in case you are unaware, is National Star Wars Day. (May Fourth. May the Fourth be with you. Anyone?) 
> 
> Anywho, I'm low key super salty about that because, obviously, I'm WRITING a Star Wars/ Hamilton fanfiction an yeah. 
> 
> (Side note: expect a chapter to come up on May Fourth. I can't skip posting then.)

One month. It took all of one month for them to officially be ready for their attack, and Alexander was getting impatient. He’d been ready to go the moment John had told him about Philip, at this point it just seemed like he was being tested. 

Of course he wanted John to continue to practice whatever it was he did with Martha for hours on end every day. It’s just that, well, couldn’t he do it when Philip (and possibly Theodosia) were returned safely to home base? That was fair, wasn’t it? 

“You’re brooding.” John commented offhandedly. When Alex looked over from his place at his desk, he saw John on his bed, book propped on a knee. The sunlight was shining through the large window -it wasn’t a window, it was a hole in the wall with only two metal bars separating them and the outside. Alex like to pretend it had glass, though- shining through just right and giving John a soft halo. “I can feel it from here.”

Alex hated those phrases. What used to be a common saying had now become far too literal. For all he knew, John  _ could _ hear what he thought. Of course, if that was the case, he would’ve either already moved out or they would’ve been making out on the floor. There was no in between.

“I’m not brooding; I’m impatient.” Alex defended himself, and rightly so. The moments were ticking away before they were allowed to leave. He’d waited long enough already. Why did they have to spend any more time on the base? 

“You’re brooding about being impatient.” John shot back as he turned the page to his book. Alex had already read it twice, maybe three times. It wasn’t anything interesting, just a basic maintenance manual for his x-wing. “How do you possibly keep this thing clean? It seems like so much effort.”

“You’ve got no idea.” Alex nodded, scratching down a few more words with his stylus onto the holopad in front of him. “Daily check ups, two if I take it off the ground. Not to mention mine’s been personalized, so I need to constantly be tightening bolts and making sure it doesn’t overheat.

“You’re ridiculous.” John laughed and set his book down, moving lean over Alex’s shoulder, glancing at the holopad he was scribbling on. “What’s it that you’re writing, Alexander?”

Something about hearing his name, his whole name, slipping off John’s tongue did something to Alex that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It sent shivers down his spine and flipped his stomach over and over. “Just plans. You know, strategies. I’m basically just trying to keep my mind busy lest I stress myself to death.”

“You’re cute when you’re nervous.” John snickered and rested his arms on Alex’s. Of course John hadn’t meant it like that. They were just two friends. Two bros being bros. To guys who just  _ happened _ to call each other cute. Who had nearly kissed a month ago.

_ Stop being a huge fucking liar, Alex. _

“I just need this to go well. It might not seem like it, but I’m terrified, John. Like, legitimately horrified at the idea that Philip might not even be there. Or, even worse, he will be there and we won’t be able to rescue him. Or, here’s the one that keeps me up, that we will find him. And we’ll be all clear to go. And then he won’t come with us. I don’t know what they do to kids in there. I don’t know what they tell them to feel.”

“Hey!” John interrupted Alex’s train of thought abruptly, spinning the chair and pulling the smaller man up to envelope him in his arms. “Don’t think that, he’ll come with us. He’ll return and you guys will live happily ever after.”

Alex hadn’t realized he’d been crying. He didn’t want to be crying. What would John think of him after seeing him like this? An emotional wreck because everything had the possibility of going to shit and Alex wasn’t sure how he could cope with that. “Ju- Just tell me that it’s going to all be okay? Please?”

“It’ll be fine.” John whispered as if it were a secret, even though they were the only ones in the room. “Better than fine. It’ll be good, great maybe. It sounds cheesy, and it kind of is, but things are going to work themselves out. They’re all going to be back, Theodosia Senior and Philip, and we’ll beat the First Order. And, after that, things will get better.”

 

They didn’t talk about what happened that night. It was an unspoken agreement between the two men, much like what happened the night they were about to kiss before Theo became the Resistance’s biggest cock-block. 

“I’m glad you’re coming with us on this, John.” Alex watched as Hercules clapped the former StormTrooper on the back before lacing up the standard-issue boots each of the guys would be wearing into battle. The girls had slightly smaller, slightly thinner ones. Alex had heard a rumor that a knife shot out of Angelica’s, though he had no evidence to back it up.

“Yes!” Lafayette supported, his tooka resting happily in his arms and purring calmly. Alex had always hated the creature. It had started when Georges -the animal- had attacked him the first time Laf had ‘introduced’ them. Since then, the tooka had had it out for him, hissing every time he entered a room and clawing at him any time he tried to pet it. “Though, it wasn’t like we had much of a choice.”

“Get your hell-beast out of here, Laf,” Alex warned, pulling the helmet onto his head. John was riding with him in the x-wing, and Hercules and Eliza were flying a shuttle that would provide enough room for the two they were going to pick up plus anyone who’s ship got wrecked. 

“You’re just mad because he’s getting more action than you ever will.” Lafayette said, scratching behind Georges’ ear and strutting away, moving to converse with Angelica and Peggy.

“Alex!” The angered voice of Theodosia Burr shot from behind him, and Alex watched as she sprinted across the tarmac, full battle gear on. “I  _ know _ you weren’t just going to leave me behind. Right?”

“Theo,” Alex warned, stepping a bit closer to his X-wing, “It’s not that I don’t want you coming. But you know George and his rules about kids not going off-planet.” Honestly, Alex didn’t want her coming. Not because he didn’t care for her, that was the very reason he wanted to keep her far away from all of the madness. Alex saw himself in the young girl, smart but dictated by emotions. And, considering what they were going to do, Alex couldn’t risk having her accidentally sabotaging the mission by doing something stupid.

“I already gave her clearance.” Alex wanted to cry out in frustration as Martha and George Washington rounded the ship, arm in arm. Seeing Alex’s annoyed appearance, George steeled his gaze. “Alexander, this young woman is three months away from my minimum age requirement. And she is, by far, the best pilot in her squad. Not to mention part of the mission has has heavily to do with her family. I think that it’s okay to bend the rules, just this once. Maker knows  _ you’ve _ done so countless times without my consent.”

“But sir-” 

“No buts, Alexander.” George snapped, nodding his head to Theo. “Go get into your ship.” And, with a smug look on her face, Theo darted away to her ship.

“John, dear,” Martha smiled and slipped her arm out of George’s. Alex turned to see John, who was standing behind him during the exchange with Theo, take a step forwards, “I was hoping to grab a moment of your time. I have a gift, of sorts.” Alex and John watched with anticipation as she reached into her brown leather satchel, pulling out a metal object.

“Is that a-” Alex asked, interrupted immediately by a nod from Martha.

“A lightsaber. One of the few that still exist.” She held it out to John, and Alex was in awe as the former StormTrooper took it with the careful hands Alex had come to admire so much. “Be careful with it, don’t waste it, and please,  _ for the love of all things,  _ don’t point it in the wrong direction when you activate it.” Alex and John let out a small laugh each before the latter took out one of the blasters from its holster on his belt and replaced it with the weapon.

“Where did you even get that, Martha?” Alex arched and eyebrow, which probably went unseen due to the helmet’s visor. 

“That, my boy,” she chuckled to herself quietly, “is a story I promise to tell you once this is all over. Not now, though. To much to do right now. And you boys have a mission to prepare for. I won’t keep you any longer.”

“May the Force be with you.” George nodded to the two men as he took Martha’s arm once again and they began moving to give parting words to the rest of the Revolutionary Crew.

“Are you ready to save the galaxy?” Alex asked light heartedly, subtly glancing at the lightsaber now resting on his hip. It didn’t look dangerous. Just a metal cylinder with some buttons on the side. It definitely didn’t look like a weapon that could go through a person as easy as a hand through water.

“You say galaxy,” John smiled, “when, in reality, it’s two people.” 

“Yeah,” Alex nodded, “But if they’re close enough to you, a person can be your galaxy. You know, the thing they need to survive. The person that feels necessary to keep going on with your life, if that makes sense. I’m sure Theodosia is Burr and Theo’s galaxy. Philip was my galaxy.”

“Was?” John asked, “Is he not anymore?”

“It’s not that I don’t put him above almost everything- I do. It’s just that there’s someone else now. There’s someone who just outshines every star and keeps me grounded more than gravity ever could.” 

“How poetic,” John stepped closer, and Alex tried not to notice, “and who would this person be, exactly. Someone I know, I take it?”  _ What a smooth little fucker. _ Alex thought dejectedly. 

“Do I need to actually spell it out for you, dumbass-” his world exploded. Not literally, of course. But it certainly felt like it because John Laurens -John  _ Motherfucking _ Laurens- had just planted a big, fat kiss on his mouth and he was still processing. 

“Calling me a dumbass was really rude.” John snickered and Alex suddenly felt ridiculously small. John was standing in front of him, nearly a head taller, and Alex hated the way he had to tilt his head back a little bit just to look into his eyes.

Alex didn’t reply with words. Instead, he just grabbed John’s neck as quick as possible, pulling him down until their lips were colliding again. It was messy, it wasn’t practiced, and it was perfect. Everything about it spoke the their relationship and the inexperience of it. Alex savored the feeling of John constantly adjusting his hands, as if he didn’t know where to let them rest. (In the end, Alex just guided them to rest around his waist.)

It was like the world was exploding while, simultaneously, everything had come to a stand still. The rest of the Resistance just melted away until it was just them, except there were also fireworks going off in the back of Alex’s mind. Their teeth were clashing, Alex was pretty sure he accidentally tugged on John’s hair a little to hard. But it was wonderful, because all of it came with a sense of accomplishment. Like all of the things that he’d gone through in life were leading up to this one experience. 

Alex had kissed a lot of people -something Peggy and Hercules and Lafayette would constantly remind him of- but, looking back on it, they were all mediocre compared to this. None of the people he’d ever kissed, slept with, or anything of the sort could hold a candle to the feeling of John Laurens holding him close and kissing him on the mouth. There might as well have been floods on Jakku and droughts on Kamino. 

In his opinion, it ended far too quickly. 

Though, it wasn’t exactly he or John’s fault. It had more to do with the whooping and hollering coming from behind him. With a certain annoyance to his movement, Alex turned to find Peggy bouncing up and down, her yellow armor practically glowing under the sunlight, and cheering over enthusiastically.

“I knew it!” She clapped and continued to jump, “I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! We were all joking but I knew you two totally had chemistry! Hercules! Lafayette! Get the fuck over here! Both of you owe me 20 credits!” As the large, yellow cock block that was Peggy sprinted off to go share the wonderful gossip, Alex let out a sigh and pressed his head to John’s chest. If the rest of the Revolutionary Crew was coming over to flood them with questions, he wanted to take their last moment of peace and quiet to reflect on the wonders of kissing John.

“Hey,” the taller man said, lifting Alex’s face to that they were making direct eye contact, “If it means anything, you’re my galaxy, too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is! They finally kissed! I had planned it to be a LITTLE bit later, but this just flowed better.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> News: the official name of the sequel will be 'You Are My Galaxy' (isn't it just cheese-tastic)
> 
> Even more news: as a little bit of a tease, I'm going to give the hints to some meet-ups to look forwards to in the upcoming chapters:
> 
> Two dorky kids
> 
> Two former lovers 
> 
> Two people who want to kill each other desperately
> 
> And four people who have the Force
> 
>  
> 
> Have fun making any sense out of that and see you on the fourth!


	13. John

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and the rest of the Revolutionary Squadron (plus Theo) begin the charge on the First Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy May Fourth you guys! I hope you're all having an amazing Star Wars day and I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> (And a very special birthday shout out to Denny for being an absolutely BEAUTIFUL being who is constantly supporting me throughout this and I look forward to having radicle conversations with every time I post a new chapter! Happy birthday and May the Fourth be with you!)

John was still coming down from the high of what had just happened. It took half of the flight for him to even comprehend what had just happened. It felt good, great even. It was like kissing Alex was putting the final piece in the puzzle and now everything made sense. Sure, there was still the nagging thought in the back of his mind that questioned if he would actually come out of this endeavour alive. But, in all honesty, the notion that he might not was part of his reasoning to kiss Alex in the first place.

It might’ve also had to do with the fact that it was his personal way of sticking his middle finger up at the First Order and everything they’d put him through. 

“You’re wearing my jacket.” Alex stated as he glanced back quickly to look at John, breaking the comfortable silence the two of them had fallen into. John was scared that if they had started talking it would end with him pouncing on Alex and the two of them accidentally wrecking the mission. The fact that he was seated behind Alex didn’t make that possibility any less plausible. He’d have to file the idea away for later, though. Still, the thought sent shudders down his spine.

“Yeah,” He nodded, eyes still focused on the seat in front of him, “I mean, if you want to have it back I understand. You gave it to me under different circumstances and I bet you just forgot to ask for it back. It’s not like I wore it a lot, anyway.” A lie. John had worn it nearly every day. It was a warm reminder of what he would be returning to at the end of every painstakingly long day of training with Martha. 

“No!” Alex said quickly, “I meant it when I told you to keep it. It does suit you, very well. I was just pointing it ou-”

“We get it, you’re fucking,” The voice of Angelica crackled over their comm system, “Now would you spare the rest of us the annoyance of your squabbling and  _ lead the fucking squadron,  _ Alexander.” 

“Angelica, have I ever told you how wonderful an addition to the team you make?” Alex bit and turned around again and thrust the ship so it went faster. 

“You could do to say it more.” She snapped back just as quick, though John could hear the affectionate tone in her voice. 

“John?” Theo’s voice overshadowed Angelica’s suddenly, “Where are we meeting again? Alex didn’t do a good job explaining the plan to me.”

“Sure,” Alex sighed and John could hear the roll of his eyes, “shoot the messenger, why don’t you?”

“Eliza and Lafayette are waiting with our getaway ship, making sure nobody finds out we’re here,” John explained, “we meet there. Exactly where we land. Besides, Theo, you’re not going anywhere by yourself. We’re traveling as a pack, okay?”

“Prepare for descent to the planet.” Hercules called through the intercom, and John took that as a cue to glance at their current coordinates.

“Alex, shouldn’t we be out of hyperspace by now?” He asked, looking at the blue blur surrounding them and wondering why they hadn’t slowed by now. Sure, he’d only been in a ship a handful of times, but this seemed awfully dangerous. Could they even get on the planet like this?

Alex flipped a few switches. “We’re landing directly from lightspeed.” Alex said nonchalantly, as if that weren’t some insane idea that would surely get them killed before it helped them in the slightest. 

“Is that even possible?” John demanded, suddenly very terrified for his life.

“Well, we’re about to find out.”

 

John felt sick. More than sick. They’d barely survived the landing, and John wasn’t entirely sure that all of his organs had stayed with him between the jump from lightspeed. All he knew is that he suddenly had the overwhelming desire to throw up. 

“Never  _ ever _ do that again, Alex.” He heaved, balancing himself when his feet finally hit the planet’s snowy surface and pressing a hand on the ship’s metal exterior. Everything felt more real in that moment. The feeling of being back on the planet that held so many awful memories for him. 

“You okay?” A calming hand found its way to the small of his back, and everything suddenly became a lot easier to deal with. It felt less like the entire weight of the universe was pressing itself on his shoulders and more like it was being shared between he and Alex. 

“Yeah,” He nodded, standing upright once again and giving Alex a small smile and a nod, “at least, better than I was. I just- I need a moment.” He screwed his eyes shut briefly and took a few more breaths before finally deciding that he was ready. 

“This is so exciting!” Theo came bounding to the two of them, her dark and dreadlocked hair pulled into a ponytail behind her and, if she didn’t have multiple weapons strapped to her person John might’ve actually mistaken her for a normal teenage girl. Then again, she was also wearing heavy black armor that strapped around her chest, limbs, and basically all other shoot-able areas. It was more armor than she’d been wearing when John had last seen her, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Eliza or Hercules had something to with the additions. “This is my first  _ real _ mission ever!”

“Don’t get cocky,” Alex laughed as he put a careful hand on her shoulder, though he looked heavily distracted, “we still need to actually rescue them. And we’re keeping you in the very center of the group. I want you as safe as possibly.” At the words, her shoulders visibly slouched, though she regained her pep when Hercules, Eliza, Peggy, and Lafayette came into the clearing.

“Don’t be so hard on her, Alex,” Lafayette chastised as he slung an arm around Theo’s shoulders, “after all, this little being just made a land in a forest from  _ light speed _ . At  _ seventeen _ . You must admit, her abilities are getting impressive.”

_ An understatement _ John decided, though this wasn’t the time nor the place to start an argument. Instead, he rested a hand on the lightsaber that now rested against his thigh. It had been burning an invisible hole in his leg since he’d taken it, and he hadn’t been able to forget about it the entire flight. What if he actually had to use it?  _ Could he _ even use it?

“Are we ready to move out?” Peggy piped up, rocking on her heels. Out of all of them, she was the most heavily equipped. Two machetes hung at her sides, dozens of blasters were peppering her belt, and spherical bombs were scattered on straps that criss-crossed her torso. And, while her armor didn’t seem like the smartest choice for a mission -was yellow really the stealthiest color?- it was mostly covered by the black leather of her straps. 

“Come back alive.” John heard and turned to see Eliza and Hercules hugging each other tightly. Eliza had been the one to say it, though John had zero doubts that Hercules would be doing just that. He wasn’t quite as decked out as Peggy, but he had a fair amount of weaponry on him blasters, bombs, and a few objects that John couldn’t name were attached to his person. Not to mention that, with his muscles shining through the navy shirt he looked prepared to rip someone’s head clean off their shoulders.

“I promise.” Hercules whispered back and pressed a kiss to her forehead before breaking apart from her, giving her one last look before nodding to Lafayette, whom returned the favor immediately, and followed Alex, Peggy, Theo, and John through the woods. 

“John, you’re in the front,” Peggy called, tugging him forwards, “none of us know where we’re going.”

 

The run to the nearest entrance to the underground base was relatively uneventful. They had to let Peggy take a few carefully aimed shots at scout droids, but overall they weren’t found out. When they did manage to get to the hatch, they quickly slipped beneath the snowy terrain.

The wing of the base they were entering through hadn’t been used in years, and it was actually a little horrifying. None of the lights were on, and it smelled a bit like the hospital wing on the base in Tokadona, a little bit like dust, and a little bit like dead people. 

“John?” Alex nudged him as he shut the hatch. It took him a moment to realize what he was hinting at until he saw Alex gently tap the lightsaber on his side. Licking his lips nervously, he unhatched it and held it up, double checking to make sure he was holding the correct way, and activated it.

Power. That was the only word to describe what it felt like to hold the activated lightsaber. Suddenly, John wasn’t just his person, he was also connected to this sword of pure energy. Everything around him dulled down, even the constant buzz of Alex in the back of his head. It was addicting to have, and he never wanted to give it up.

The entire hall was cast into an eerie blue light, only stretching a few yards in front of the group. Looking back at the people that he then realized had become his family, he saw how solemn and old it made the rest of them look. It made each of their faces appear longer, hollower. John quickly turned around again.

It didn’t take them long to reach the point where they could hear the imperial sounding marches of Storm Troopers. Inhaling quickly, John turned and prepared to address the group. “Okay, assuming something bad happens, the prison wards are two floors down and are clearly marked. The barracks, where Philip would most likely be right now, are three floors beneath that. That’s the more dangerous one, hundreds of StormTroopers in there at once. We’ll go there second. After that, we just need to sprint and pray we can go faster than everyone else.”

“What a motivational speech.” Angelica scoffed, though she had a worried glint in her eyes. “Look, nothing bad is going to happen, okay? Just stop talking like that. We’re going to get through this, and Philip and Theodosia Senior are going to be with us when we do. So shut the fuck up and let’s go wreck the First Order.”

“I love you too, Angie.” He laughed, letting his lightsaber close and plunge them back into darkness. Even with their small numbers, it was difficult to navigate the maze of a base. Especially when they were trying not to be spotted. Yet, they managed to make it nearly the entire way and, for a brief moment of open happiness and joy John thought that they were going to make it the entire way. 

So, of course, something was bound to go wrong. 

And that something was named Maria Reynolds. 

“John?” She pursed her lips as she saw him round the corner, stopping abruptly when he nearly ran into her, Thomas Motherfucking Jefferson, and a small girl he didn’t recognize. A little thing that wasn’t even half as old as Theo. Still, she had a mature aura around her. The red hair on her head was piled on top of her head, covered just a bit by the red cloak she dawned. How had a kid gotten one of the King’s red capes? The ones reserved for his most trusted soldiers. 

“Maria?” Alex said, causing John give him a confused look because  _ since when did they know each other? _

“Hamilton.” Jefferson sneered.

“Fight me, you dick!” Peggy shouted to, John assumed, Jefferson. 

In the split second John saw Maria reach for her lightsabers, he shoved his hand out, pushing Hercules, Peggy, Theo, Maria, and Angelica back, then slammed one of the metal doors down to separate them. They still had a mission to complete. And if that required he and Alex to distract Maria and Jefferson, two former friends -maybe more for Alex and Maria? He made a mental note to ask him about it if they managed to come out of this alive- for a little bit, so be it.

 

 

 **My visual inspiration for Theo:**  
  
  
  
  
  


**My visual inspiration for Anna Bella:**  
  
  
  


**My visual inspiration for Theodosia Senior:**  
  
  
  
  
(Her name is Nicolette Robinson Odom, Leslie's actual wife. And she's _so_ it's unfair.) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wah wah! Cliff hanger! So... Instead of satisfying you and hopping right into the action between Macaroni Fucker, Myqueena Reynolds, Damnilton, and Turtle Nerdle we're going to get a Theo chapter!
> 
> If you have any interest in getting: hints at up coming chapters/ the one-shots/ the sequel OR just want to read my rambling about the characters, look no farther than the comment section where I've literally written PARAGRAPHS that either have to do with upcoming plans or explain the motives or thought behind character's actions.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> And May the Fourth be with you!


	14. Theodosia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We hear from Theo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie doke my little homies, I didn't think I would be posting so soon. But, you know what, I was in the mood. (Mainly because my English teacher brought me back a playbill from her showing of Hamilton. Still jealous that she got to see the whole original cast AND the Ham4Ham where they did the Jabba Flow with JJ Abrams. But whatever. I'm not salty.)
> 
> Also: Happy Mother's Day! The last leg of the chapter is kind of dedicated to the holiday, and I hope you all enjoy!

There were three rules that George made every kid on the base memorize before they even considered leaving for a mission.

Rule one: Don’t be stupid.

Rule two: Don’t be selfish.

Rule three: Don’t get caught.

And, on Theodosia’s first mission off-world, her team had managed to break every single one of those rules. 

It’s not that she didn’t like John, she liked him far more than when she’d first become acquainted with him. Spending over a month in the company of someone will form bonds, no matter what either party has to say about it. At the very least, she’d stopped blaming him for the death of her mother. Though, whether that was because she was alive or because she’d actually gotten to know John was still in the air.

Either way, like or dislike, she thought he was an idiot. After all, only an idiot would push away their team when faced with an imminent threat to them, such as a Sith. And, not only was he being stupid, the rest of the team was being selfish. Instead of trying to open up the door again, they were moving on their way to the prison cells. 

Angelica was Alex’s second, Theo knew that much. So it only came as a mild shock to her when, just moments after the doors had closed, the woman had started barking out orders as if it were her job all along. So, under knew and sudden leadership, they were making their way to the prison wards.

“We got seperated from John and Alex,” Hercules hushed into his comm link while still watching the behind them, “T. Jeffs and Maria Reynolds showed up.”

“Maria as in that girl Alex had that thing with until she almost got her hands on all of our battle plans? The one who tried to kill us Maria? The fuck is she doing there?” Lafayette replied, talking a mile a minute.

“She pulled out a fucking lightsaber on us, Laf.” Hercules shot back.

“Son of a bitch.”

“Would you two shut the fuck up?” Angelica hissed at them, holding a hand out to stop the group as a squadron of StormTroopers marched by, unaware of the team hiding in the shadows. “We are on a  _ mission _ , in case you forgot. Which means that you need to be quiet so we don’t get caught.”

Of course, that shut the two of them right up, and Theo had to suppress a laugh. It amazed her that Angelica could control both Hercules, someone twice her weight, and Lafayette, who took orders from nobody besides himself and the general. (And maybe Alex, but only once in awhile.)

Theo had grown up with the Skyward Sisters as her mentors, as they had each been there before Theo had even arrived. The first birthday that she could remember, Eliza had baked the cake. Angelica had been the person to teach her how to properly throw a punch, and Peggy had given her her first flying lesson. When her dad -her dad who is a traitor, now. Theo was still trying to process that he could do something like that to the Resistance. To  _ her- _ would be off base, it was usually the sisters that took charge of watching her.

She admired each of them for their own strengths, but Angelica had always been her favorite. (Not that she’d ever say that out loud. The other two would kill her.) She wanted to be like Angelica when she grew up, strong and independent and righteous. That was the goal, and she wanted to do everything in her power to excel at it.

“Are missions always this wild?” Theo whispered to Peggy, toying with the blaster at her side nervously as they descended the stairs of the base. Every mission she’d been on had been dull as rocks. Usually they were solo missions, occasionally with a partner. And, even then, it was three out of times just a retrieval mission or a scouting trip. She’d only been in a fight once, and it had just been some lousy rough housing at a bar.

“No.” Peggy replied back curtly as the group ground a halt in front of the prison ward. “They’re usually a lot more fun.”

“Peggy,” Angelica said, snapping her focus to the youngest Skyward, “up there-” she pointed to a rafter near the ceiling, “-I want anyone who even tries to come into the ward shot before they’ve got time to notice us. Nothing fancy, no explosives, just the sniper.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Peggy laughed and gestured to Hercules, “Give me a lift?” And, without a moment of hesitation, she sprinted to him. It was like it was rehearsed. (It probably was.) As Peggy charged at Hercules, he offered his hand before him, which she stepped into and used it as a trampoline. With a huff, he hoisted her into the air and she extended her arms to catch the beam before pulling herself the rest of the way. Theo watched in awe as she mechanically set up the sniper rifle, laying down on the beam ready to strike.

“Let’s go.” Angelica tilted her head and she, Hercules, and Theo took off running again. Theo felt high. It was like the entire reality of what was happening had finally caught up to her and all of a sudden this feeling of adrenaline just slammed into her.

It was vain, yes, but this felt like she’d finally been accepted into the cool kid’s table at the mess hall. She’d spent as long as she could remember with the majority of the Revolutionary Squadron, but there was always this feeling that they were on a different level than she was. But now it was finally like she was really one of them. Like she was a part of the team. 

And, sure, she probably wouldn’t be allowed to go on another mission until she actually turned 18, but that was fine. This was her proving herself, months before other kids her age could even try. 

That feeling of joy washed away quickly.

The moment they were in the prison ward all of the positive, hopeful emotions washed away like they had never been there in the first place. Instead they were replaced with fear, resent, and loneliness. The last one was completely irrational, too. Herc and Angelica were right next to her, and Peggy was just outside the door. So, why did she suddenly feel ridiculously isolated, as if she had been for years?

It was probably just the feeling of the area, she told herself. The entire prison ward was bleak and menacing. Each wall and floor were the same shade of gray, and the lighting was harsher in there than in the rest of the base. 

From down the hall, they heard the faint sound of Peggy’s near-silence sniper. “We need to hurry up, there’ll be more soon.”  Angelica commanded, unsheathing her blaster and holding it up in the case she would use it. Theo followed suit. 

As they moved along the halls, the prison cells on either side, Theo got this feeling in her stomach, something that felt like a mix of nerves and joy. And, the more they continued moving, the stronger it got. Until-

“Not that way.” She all but shouted as Angelica lead them, making to turn left at a fork in the path. With a skid of her boots, Angelica (and subsequently Herc) paused in their path and turned to face Theo.

“Excuse me?”

“I-” Theo stuttered, suddenly helpless, “Don’t ask me how I know. I just do. That's not the way we need to be going.  _ This _ way." Theo didn't even wait for Angelica or Hercules, she just bolted to the right and hoped that they'd get the memo and follow her. 

It took them awhile. She didn't have anyway to tell the time exactly, she only knew a lot of it had passed until they got to their destination. She hadn't expected there to be this many cells, there had to be hundreds. 

But she eventually did make it, and the feeling in her gut had graduated to her head. It was like a buzz. More than that. It was like a screaming in the back of her head that was saying  _ this is where you need to be. This is the place.  _

"Are you sure, Theo?" Angelica asked, arching her eyebrow. She'd never felt more like a teenage girl than in that moment. All she wanted, more than anything in the galaxy, was to be right. Was for her mother to be behind that door and Angelica would tell her she did a good job and they'd get her mother out of there. 

"Positive."

Angelica gave a nod to Hercules, who drew his blaster and shot the small keeps system next to the door, causing it to spark and open the prison cell. Theo took in a breath, waiting to see her mom after the years apart. 

It wasn’t her.

All the same, though, Theo’s world exploded. 

It was hard to explain. It was like she finally got a breath of fresh air after a lifetime filled with tainted oxygen. Like every color in the otherwise bleak world was suddenly cranked up twelve notches. And Theo felt greedy with the feeling. She’d sooner die than give it up.

Instead of her mother, the person sitting behind the metal door of the cell was a boy, probably her age or around it. Immediately her brain made a connection with Alex. They had the same eyes and similar hair, though his was far curlier and shorter than Alex’s. He also had a splatter of freckles across his light skin, and Theo found it instantly endearing. 

“Philip?” Angelica asked, and Theo realized who this was. Philip Hamilton, Alex’s brother.  _ That explains the similarities.  _ She thought and stepped out of the way for Angelica and Hercules to go in before her. “Philip Hamilton?”

“W-who are you?” He asked, bolting to his feet and placing a hand on the wall behind him. He was dressed in the all black suit that Theo assumed went under the StormTrooper armor. 

“We’re here to help.” Hercules said carefully, extending his hands in front of him in a calming manor.  _ They should’ve brought Eliza, she was better at this.  _ “We’re friends with your brother, Alexander.”

“You know Alex?” Philip asked softly, his shoulders relaxing just a fraction and he took a small step forwards. “W-where is he? Is he here with you?”

“Yes,” Angelica nodded, then frowned, “well, not  _ here _ here. He’s on the base, though. We got separated before we came to find you. But we’re meeting him again later. We need to keep moving, though.”

“ _ Guys, _ ” Peggy called through their comm system, “can you hurry up in there? More bucket-heads are starting to come. It won’t be long until they realize something’s going wrong. The sooner the better.”

“Got it, Pegs,” Hercules confirmed, “we’ve got Philip. We need to find Theodosia Senior real quick but we’ll be right out. Just hold them off for a little bit longer,” He shut off the comm, “We need to keep moving.” 

“Philip, you need to come with us,” Angelica said, her voice tense, “we’re busting you out.”

“Is this a trick?” 

“No,” Theo promised, finally finding her voice again, “I promise, no tricks. We’re just trying to get you and someone else out.  _ Please _ , come with us? We’re going to be caught if you don’t.” She extended a hand to him, praying to any deities that he would take it.

And take it he did. He reached out his hand, placing it carefully in hers, and gave it an experimental squeeze before nodding and following the three of them out of the cell. “You wouldn’t happen to know where a Theodosia Burr was being held?” She asked light heartedly.

“Yes.” He said in complete seriousness, apparently unaware of her attempt to put a joke in their otherwise solemn experience. “Follow me.” 

Theo shot Angelica and Hercules a brief, confused look before trotting after their mysterious new companion and hoping he wasn’t leading them into a trap.

 

“If you’re wrong, and this is a trap, I’m going to skin you alive.” Angelica warned, standing in front of the cell door Philip had led them to. He claimed that he’d been one of the StormTroopers in charge of watching Theodosia Senior, and that he knew the route to get there like he knew his own mind. 

“Ang, chill,” Hercules sighed as he pulled his blaster out again, aiming for the control panel, “he’s just a kid. Alex’s  _ brother _ , no less. Maybe stop with the death threats?”

Angelica didn’t reply, though the eye roll she gave as Hercules shot the panel was all Theo needed to decipher the emotions the eldest Skyward was feeling about the entire situation.

As the cell doors opened, Theo took in a breath. What if this wasn’t the big, sappy reunion she’d always pictured? She’d lost her mother nearly ten years ago, what if she was nothing like she remembered? What if she was no longer the kind, skilled, intelligent woman Theo had seen as a child? What if she had never been that way to begin with? Her dad had always told her stories about how her mother was a genius, how she could’ve done so much more than fly x-wings and plan attacks, but instead of getting a well-paying job in the Senate she instead chose to help people. What if the real thing didn’t live up to the stories?

All the ideas that the real Theodosia would never live up to Theo’s fantasy washed away when the doors opened. 

Even after all this time, even after probably being in that cell for years with minimum amounts of food, Theodosia Burr looked exactly as Theo remembered her to be. Tall, cheekbones for days, and effortlessly beautiful. Even in the ratty clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in weeks, she glowed.

She glowed even more when she saw Theo at the opening. 

Everything dulled around her. The only thing in the universe that mattered was her mom, standing in front of her. Theo sprinted the short distance to her, scared that if she took to long Theodosia would disappear again. 

“Mom?” She choked out, arms tightening around Theodosia and she prayed silently that they would never have to move again. Not if it meant breaking this moment.

“Yeah, baby,” Theo felt her mom kiss her head, like she would do before every flight she had to make off-world. It was nostalgic, and Theo never wanted to lose the feeling. “It’s me. And, I promise, I’m never losing you again.”

Theo felt safe in her mother’s arms, even though they were in an area that was the farthest thing from safe it could get. She didn’t care. She had her mother back. Her mother, and the overwhelming feeling that she had returned home.

 

 

**Okay, so before I leave I wanted to add my visual inspiration for Philip, because, obviously, he's gonna look different than John.**

  
  
  
  
  
  


**In case you didn't know, these images were from when he was doing 21 Chump Street. (Which Lin also wrote and had a role in. I would highly recommend it, the whole thing's on Vimeo and it's only about 15 minutes long. You won't regret it.)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> Next chapter we'll get back to our final four (though, whether it's narrated by John or Maria is still up in the air. Tell me your thoughts in the comments. I PROMISE it will influence my decision heavily.)


	15. John

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big finale fight scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lot longer and a lot quicker than I'd imagined initially. I write in Google Docs and this took up two more pages than it normally would. I think you guys are gonna enjoy, though.

John remembered, when he was younger, he would always hear stories about the jedi. About how they would do what was right and just, like saving the galaxy from the Sith and protecting their friends from harm. At the moment, John didn’t feel like he was overly capable of either, much less both. 

He could still recall the first time he’d met Maria. He’d been on a standard patrol, marchin with some other faceless Trooper that he couldn’t even be bothered to recall the name of, when he’d heard the screaming. It was distinctly feminine and, as they passed by the open door, John saw her using her lightsabers to wreck the control panel in front of her. Unfortunately for him, he’d been the closest to her when she noticed the two of them staring. 

She’d used the Force to pull him to her, gripping him by the neck and knocking his helmet off in the process. She’d said something along the lines of ‘ _ The fuck are you staring at?’  _ and he’d responded with something stupid. Like, really stupid. He didn’t even remember what he’d said, just that is should’ve gotten him killed. Instead of stabbing him, she’d laughed. Since then, they’d been friends. He brought the stupid jokes and she threatened to stab anyone that so much as looked at him wrong. 

_ What happened? _

After just over a month and a half apart John had become a new person. He’d stopped wearing his hair up, a requirement for any Trooper in the order unless they wanted it cut off entirely. He’d smiled more, that was for sure. Hell, he’d even gone and fallen for some guy.  _ Not some guy. Alex. _

Oh, and of course there was the obvious difference of him now holding a lightsaber to his side. 

Maria hadn’t changed. If anything, she’d become more herself. She was exactly like John remembered her. Same waving locks, same red lips, and same determined look in her eyes. The look of a killer. 

John had never killed someone, he’d never been on a mission that entitled that sort of power. Sure, he’d been trained to, and he knew how to snap the neck of over a hundred different species, but he didn’t have the bravery of someone who’d done so before. Maria had that advantage over him, and that’s what put her above him. (As well as years of more intense training.)

“When’d you get a lightsaber?” Maria quirked an eyebrow, almost as if she was toying with him. Honestly, she probably was. She was confident, and with good reason. The reality of the situation was that she would win. She would probably kill him at best, torture him at worst. And Alex…  _ Alex. _

Maybe this was why the old Jedi of legend didn’t accept emotional attachments to anyone. Now, not only did John have to worry about himself, he also had to put just as much effort into protecting Alex. Sure, the pilot could probably handle himself in a fight. Maybe even better than John could. But John felt  _ responsible _ , like if anything happened to him it would undeniably be on his conscious. 

“I dunno,” he shrugged, working his hardest to keep his nerves down, “maybe a few hours ago? Maybe less?” 

Instead of snarling, or whatever it was that would be normal in a fight, Maria let out a soft laugh. Both Alex and Jefferson gave her a confused look, though she ignored it. “God, it’s been dull without you here.” 

“John?” Alex whispered to him, and John was distracted by the man enough that he almost missed Maria giving a nod to the little girl to her right. Almost missed the little girl shoving her hand forwards and screwing her eyes shut and furrowing her brows, a look of deep concentration crossing her face.

“Why don’t you come over here, John?” Maria said, barely audible. 

He’d thought that turning on the lightsaber was power? That was nothing compared to the feeling that washed over him. It was like every fiber in his being was screaming at him to listen to her. It felt like nothing else made senses except doing what she’d said. 

Taking a deep breath, he dug his feet into the ground. He knew what was happening. He’d heard whispers about Force wielders who had the power to bend people’s minds to their whims. He wanted to fight it, though. He wanted to prove that he was above whatever it was that Maria could ever try to put him through. 

Still, was going to her side the worst thing that he could do? She was powerful, she could probably train her better than Martha ever could. Maybe they could even take over the universe. That was the best way to make it change, after all. If the Resistance won the war, it would go back to the way it was before; imperfect. There would still be corruption and small-level villains. But, if John could help the First Order rule over it he could invoke  _ real  _ change _.  _ He could not settle for the best they could do, he could make them do it the right way. Maybe if Alex joined him they could do it together. They could really make the universe a better place, permanently. He would, too, except-

Except he wouldn’t. 

John looked over at Alex, and saw his own reflection in those big, round eyes. He looked at himself in the eyes of a man who was frightened, who was used to understanding everything that went on around him and all of a sudden didn’t. Alex would never choose that side, the bad side. He wouldn’t force people to do something, even if it was the best thing to do. He would let them grow on their own, giving them nudges in the correct direction. And, John realized, so would he. He’s not a villain, that was all Maria.

So, instead of moving to his former friend, (his former  _ best _ friend) he thrust out his hand and watched as she slid back. Not exactly what he was hoping for -he was rooting for her to fly back, pass out, and allow he and Alex to vanish without a trace- but he’d managed to make her move, a feat. And, better than that, the burning desire to do the wrong thing had disappeared. 

“Alright then,” Jefferson pursed his lips and shook his hands, activating the weapons John hadn’t noticed he’d been holding. They looked a bit like lightsabers -they had the same glowing effect that radiated danger- but they were far to small to be any sort of blade. It almost appeared to wrap around his hands, “I think that’s enough.”

“Ooh, the macaroni fucker speaks!” Alex chastised bravely, his eyes flicking to John’s for the briefest second, checking to make sure he was still with him, before refocusing on the former allie across from him. 

“That image was taken out of context and you know it, Alexander!” Jefferson roared, sprinting towards Alex. 

And suddenly it was war between them. The tension building between the five of them exploded in an array of emotions that his John like a fucking star destroyer. While Jefferson charged straight for Alex -and vice versa- John was left to fight Maria and the young girl.

Now, he was raised in a proper, traditional household for a good portion of his life. He was taught the most basic of etiquette, like never look a Vuvrian in any of its eyes, always wear a suit when you meet ambassadors of other planets, and -above all- his father drilled it in his head to never hit a woman. 

Of course, the First Order made it their mission to rid him of remorse about hitting any species, gender regardless, and aiming to kill. But he’d still felt guilty sparring with any of the female StormTroopers. They’d told him not to worry about it, they’d told him that it was more of an insult to  _ not _ fight full out than to. Still, it plagued him.

So now, not only was he paired to fight a woman, he was also paired to fight a  _ child _ who barely looked like she could hurt a fly. It hardly seemed hair.

That was his opinion  _ before _ the kid made her attack. 

She was like a bolt of electricity, moving so fast that she blurred. Within seconds she was going against him, a red lightsaber drawn and glaring harshly. John barely had time to lift his blade to block her attack by the time she was right on top of him. 

While he  _ wanted _ to say ‘who the fuck are you?’ (he hadn’t seen her in his entire time serving the First Order) he could hardly get a breath in between her blows, which seemed to just keep coming and coming. There was no room for witty remarks. Instead, he was reduced to a meek defence position, unable to even attempt offence.

It only became harder for him when Maria joined the fight, her effortless control of both her lightsabers leaving him to defend against three different attacks from three different directions at once. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to notice, but they both fought in similar fashions. Both of them moved in a fluid, distinct way. Both of them attacked so precisely it was a wonder neither landed an actual blow.

“You’ve been training, John.” Maria quipped, looking so relaxed it was like she wasn’t even fully invested in the fight. Like she would rather be almost anywhere but there, and the entire ordeal was just some inconvenience to her.

Instead of taking part in the back and forth, he just grunted, regretting his decision to leave his hair down. It was everywhere. Literally. It was like every time he turned his head a curly lock fell into his eyes. How did Maria fight with her hair down?

Sucking in air, he prepared for what was about to happen. He’d done it once, maybe twice, successfully for any longer than half a minute, and even then it was when he was completely at rest on the bank of the Tokadana lake, with Martha coaching him through it. Still, it could be helpful, even if it only lasted a few seconds. When Martha had been pelting him with rocks (“I’m helping you be aware of your surroundings!”) he’d managed to do it for a brief moment and sneak up behind her, returning the favor by levitating an, albeit small, pebble at her calf.

Taking two quick steps away from the two women attacking him, John hastily screwed his eyes shut and hoped for the best.

It was almost instantaneous. It was hard to completely describe the feeling of being invisible. It was more of something you  _ knew _ rather than felt. He didn’t feel different at all. He could still see his hands, still gripping the lightsaber. It was more like that feeling when you’re in a dream, where everything feels real but you know something’s off. 

Martha had explained what the ability was. It had been practiced a very long time ago, a lost art becauses not enough jedi had the ability. They had called it a Force Cloak, and it essentially made you invisible. The first time it happened it had been a complete accident. He’d been meditating, focusing on nothing as best he could, when he’d just flickered in and out of visibility. It had freaked him out at first, and even Martha hadn’t completely understood it. But, after a bit of digging, he’d realized what an insanely useful power it could be. And, since then, they’d worked on perfecting it. 

The look on Maria’s face was worth all of the work. The complete and utter shock she wore filled him with this  _ smug _ feeling. He’d done it. He’d figured out a way to best her at something she’d spent decades longer working on. It was a dead art, cloaking, and the fact that he’d discovered it before she had made him feel infinitely better about himself. 

He didn’t have long, though. It lasted seconds, ten at most while he was moving, and it took far too much energy than he could spare to repeat over and over. When he reappeared, he could fade out again maybe two more times before he’d need to fight the old fashioned way. And, even then, there would be the possibility that he wouldn’t be able to keep going after that.

So, in his final seconds of invisibility, he bolted as quickly as he could behind Maria and yanked the red hood over her head, trying his best to pull it over her eyes. With her momentarily distracted, he pulled one of her two lightsabers from her hands, finally flickering into visibility again.

It felt different than the one that Martha had given him. It felt more alive, more excited, than the tamer blue one. This one crackled, as if it wasn’t just a light blade, but actual fire held in his hands. 

Without wasting another moment admiring it, he settled into a battle stance. At least this way he’d have a fair chance to beat them. Two blades on two was far easier than one on three. Still, both of them were better than him. There was no denying that fact. Though, if he could find a way to stall enough for him and Alex to get out, that would be good.

Looking over Maria’s shoulder for the briefest second, he saw Alex toe-to-toe with Jefferson. He was using his blaster at the closest proximity John had ever seen, dodging each thrash from Thomas’ weapons easily. 

Their fight continued like that for what felt like ever. Each time he managed to come close to landing a blow, one or the other of the girls would dance just out of his reach while the other drew his attention to her. He’d managed to get deep enough that he needed to flicker out again twice, and he was beginning to feel the repercussions. 

His moves were becoming sluggish, while it seemed like the two he was facing were only getting faster. He needed to get out of the fight as fast as he could.

He heard a groan and a thump from behind him, and he worried for a brief second that it was Alex. In a brief lapse of rest he threw a look over his shoulder to check, and was relieved to see that it was, instead, Jefferson crumpling to the ground. Alex was the one standing above him, sweat causing his stray hairs to stick to his forehead and his chest was heaving from heavy breaths. John found the entire thing very attractive. 

Nodding quickly, Alex took off to the door, working quickly to get it opened as John held off the two of them. And, when he was done, he joined John in the fight. 

Together, they managed to move the two Sith back, and John thought they might actually be able to beat them. And then he hit the damn kid. He was aiming for her, he was in a fight with her after all. But it still surprised him when he’d managed to breeze the tip of his blade through her shoulder blade. It wasn’t gross. The heat immediately cauterized the wound, and there was no blood leakage. Still, the shriek she let out was horrifying. It stopped John, Alex, and Maria in their tracks. 

Before any of them had time to process, he and Alex turned and sprinted. This was the only chance they had. This was their opening to sprint, use the last of their energy, and meet the rest of the Crew at the ships. They could do it. They could get away.

If only.

He felt the icy hand reach around him before he and Alex began flying back. When they did, it was quick. The only thing that stopped them from flying right out of the star system was the metal wall they slammed into, knocking the air out of both of their lungs. 

Maria looked scary, scarier than she had been. Her brown eyes had shifted into a menacing gold color, and her hair was flying around her head like there was a personal tornado going on only for her.

“You sons of bitches,” Maria sneered, glaring daggers and looked over at the little girl and Jefferson, both on the floor. (John supposed she’d blacked out from the pain.) “she’s a  _ kid _ . And you nearly took her arm off.”

“And you trained her to be a Sith!” Alex retorted, trying to lift his chest off the wall they were pinned to, only to fail miserably when she thrust her hand out again and a new wave of power forced them to become even flatter against the metal. 

“You know,” she was barely making a sound, the dangerous look in her eyes trained on Alex, making John worry profusely, “I’m going to enjoy hanging you with your own tongue.” 

John shouldn’t have been shifty at that. He’d heard her make comments like that since they’d been friends. He’d laughed at them once upon a time ago. He’d never considered them from the receiving end. And, what’s worse, she’d hardly spoken to him the entire experience. It would’ve been easier if she’d just been mad at him. He would’ve understood that. But she wasn’t even giving him that satisfaction. Instead, she was going just for the person he cared for most.

“That’s enough, Maria.” He wheezed out from behind the ridiculous pressure on his throat. “You could just let us leave, we won’t fight. We can all walk out of this alive.” He pleaded.

“No!” She snapped, “you made your choice! You left! You left me with nobody but myself! Anna was the first thing that was remotely good that happened to me since you left, John, and now you’re wrecking that, too! You don’t get to just leave and then wreck everything else, too.” 

She wasn’t hysteric. Maria was above that, that John knew. She would never become the hysteric stereotype of a woman. No, she wasn’t hysteric or crying or whining. She was blaming him. She was somehow turning it to make it that him leaving, the best thing he’d done in his  _ life _ was this horrible deed that could never be forgiven. She could do that, and she could get away with it. 

She was that good.

But John looked to Alexander,  _ his _ Alexander, and he saw new hope. Hope that he could beat Maria, at least best her for the time being, and they could get out of here. Hope that told him that they would make it out alive, and they would come back kicking. 

With a nervous gnaw on his lips, and Maria forcing his head to snap back and face her as she continued to prattle off the list of things he’d done wrong, he tried to tap into Alexander. He searched and searched for the connection Martha had told him about and tried desperately to tap into Alex’s energy.

At first, it did nothing. Nothing changed, nothing happened. It seemed like it was all in vain until-

Until John felt the tidal wave. A new, what felt infinite, supply of energy and power waiting for him to use, and he had only Alexander to thank. He tuned out Maria, tuned out Alex, tuned out the entire damn universe so that it was just him,  _ only him _ , and focused on extending his abilities. He forced the cloak that shielded him to also cover Alexander and sunk into the comforting feeling of invisibility. 

Once they’d vanished, Maria’s hold on them disappeared as well, though John wasn’t sure if that was because of the cloak itself washing away any Force powers on him, or if she just didn’t know where to push. Either way, they were free and they were running.

 

 

**I image Jefferson's weapons to look something along the lines of this:**   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh? Eh?
> 
> Anyway, once this one's done I'm going to take a little break because I've got finals coming up and need all the help I can get in math. After that, the one shots will be uploaded, and then the sequel will happen.
> 
> Goodbye, loves. Until next time.


	16. Alex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Philip are reunited (also whoo buddy is this gay)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took a while. I was having SERIOUS writer's block with the second half of this chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> An open letter to one Denny:
> 
> If you are reading this, I miss you. I don't know what happened to you, but I assume that you deleted your account or something because there's no way to access it. I miss the conversations with you that I had and I hope that you return to us soon. 
> 
> With longing,
> 
> SCS

Alex was still reeling from what had just happened.

It wasn’t real, it couldn’t have been. 

And, yet, there they were. He and John, sprinting as fast as possible through the enemy territory, not not even bothering to pay attention to the people around them because they were invisible and, even if they weren’t, they both felt invincible. 

Alex always got a high after a fight. His heart would race as he lands his x-wing and greets all of the people still on the base who came to congratulate him and his team. But this wasn’t that. It was… It was like being tired and ecstatic all at once. He felt completely exhausted, like he was giving of everything he had to give. 

And, more than that, he felt like he was giving it to John.

He hadn’t dropped their hands since they’d made it out of the room with Maria. They’d been running at full speed with absolutely zero slowing down, completely exhausted, and somehow Alex still found the energy to keep a tight hold on John’s hand because he sort of kind of felt like if he let go he’d float away and the last two months would be nothing but a dream.

“This is insane.” John panted as they made their way into the hallway they’d used as an entrance, finally slowing down to a steady jog instead of a full-blown sprint. The moment that Alex removed his hand -so he could use it to prop himself up on one of the shadowed walls- the connection was lost. Everything that he and John’d just done came crashing down on him in one big tidal wave. If he was tired before, he was practically lying down and falling asleep. Looking over his shoulder at John, who was leaning against the wall next to him, he could see the former StormTrooper was having a similar reaction.

“That was-” Alex started before John cut him off with a quick kiss. He relaxed into it, allowing John to take the lead and, for once, just let himself be a follower. Both of them were panting, both of them were sweating, and both of them were grinning into the other’s mouth. It was gross, to be frank. Alex had his hand wrapped around John’s neck and it kept slipping because of the small beads of sweat dripping down. But he didn’t care.

He was there; successfully completing a mission; kicking a sith lordess’ ass; fighting Thomas Jefferson; getting his brother back after years apart; and all with the man that he love.

_ Loved. _

That was new. 

He’d told John that he was his galaxy, and he hadn’t been lying. At the moment, it felt like everything was taking second place to him. But love, the actual word, just made everything so much more real. He’d never been  _ in love _ with anyone before. He’d said it, he’d made it, and he’d pretended for the sake of the moment. He loved Philip, but he had never been in love with another person. 

But here was John. John with his million watt smile and his bouncy hair and his universe of freckles splattered across his skin, making Alex wanting to kiss every single one of them, to appreciate them to adding to the essence of John Laurens. Here was John, with all of the little parts of him that  _ made him John. _ And Alex just fell in love with each one a little bit more than the last. 

He remarked on the people he’d had ‘things’ with before. How he would see them for a night, maybe more if he liked them enough, but there would always be boundaries and it would always be about sex and nothing else.

But, with John, he didn’t just want that. Well, he wanted that, he wanted that badly, but that wasn’t the only thing he wanted. He wanted to spend his life with John, to watch him grow as a person and to grow because of him. He wanted to be by his side when they won the war, he wanted John to be the first person he saw when it was announced that the First Order was finished once and for all. After the war, he wanted John to still be part of his life. He wanted a home on a planet far enough from the center of the galaxy that they’d never have to worry about anything to do with the Rebellion again. He wanted John to hold his hand through life.

John was different, and it scared Alex and it excited him and just made him want to kiss him harder because, to be frank, he doesn’t want it to end. He doesn’t want to break apart from John because then he’d have to acknowledge the rest of the universe, and then he’d be forced to cope with the idea that war was dangerous. That there was always the possibility that one of them might get hurt, maybe even killed. He just wanted John to be safe.

_ George would probably let us out if we asked.  _ It was a nice thought, though an unrealistic one. While he would love to run away with John, far enough in the Outer Rim that the war couldn’t even touch them, neither of them ever would. The war was a part of them, they were both too attached to the idea of doing the right thing. Still, maybe one day.

“We should stop,” Alex sighed into John’s mouth, though his actions were saying quite the opposite. John surged forward at the opportunity of Alex opening his mouth, licking his way in and successfully silencing Alex, causing him to stutter out a low noise that came from deep in his throat. 

“Or we could not.” John smiled recklessly against his mouth. “We could just stay like this forever and forget about everything and everyone else. Just you and me.” That sounded nice. That sounded like something Alex wanted. That sounded like… Like the panicked voice of Peggy over their wrist comms.

“Gotta go!” Peggy must’ve been shouting into the comm, because it was stupidly loud, “Gotta go fast! ‘Liza, Laf, - ha, that that was an alliteration-  _ sorry, Angie!  _ Don’t hit me! Anyway, morning dove, peacock, we’re on our way and we’re coming in hot!  _ Yes, _ Theo I just said that, do you have a problem with that?... I am  _ not _ that old! I’m two years older than yo- Ms. Burr get your daughter under control!... Sorry, Alex, John meet us at the ships as soon as possible.”

The line cut off, leaving Alex and John standing facing each other in complete silence until John quietly whispered, “The fuck is a peacock?”

 

“It’s time to blast, kids!” Peggy shouted, her and the rest of the group emerging from the trees at full sprint. “They may or may not have seen us as we were leaving and there’s a  _ slim _ possibility that they’re chasing after us.” With that, she rushed to her ship, though she wasn’t who Alex was paying attention to. 

He watched in anticipation for the person he’d come here for in the first place. He reached out his hand and let out the breath he’d been holding when John took it, giving it a tender, innocent squeeze. 

Alex watched as Philip stepped out of the shadows the trees cast, Theo gently nudging him forwards with a hand on the small of his back. He looked so different from when Alex had last seen him, the only thing that remained of the boy his brother had used to be was the same doe eyes that were filled with a combination of fear and wonder. 

His hair was shorter. He used to wear it long, maybe pulled back on the particularly hot days of Yavin 4. Now it was short, barely reaching past his ears. It still curled messily, something even the First Order couldn’t command. He was so much taller, though. He seemed older, sadder, and Alex hated it. 

He felt stupid noticing all of the little things, everything that had changed, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help comparing the old Philip, the one he knew, to this person standing in front of him, a complete stranger. 

“Philip?” He asked, quiet and meek for once in his life. 

The head of this person, this StormTrooper, turns to him and Alex’s heart breaks all over again. What if Philip was nothing like the adorable, hopeful kid that had big dreams of being a famous poet? What if Philip had been completely washed away by the First Order? He’d been so young, so impressionable when they’d taken him. They could easily mold him into their perfect soldier. It was all his fault.

What if he didn’t remember Alex at all?

He shouldn’t have left Philip. He should have gone back to their home, looked for him. Maybe then he would’ve never been taken by the First Order. Maybe he could’ve just negotiated with them, said that he’d go in Philip’s place. He would have. He would’ve died if it meant that Philip stayed away. 

“Alex.” Philip rushed away from Theo, who Alex could now see was holding an older version of herself’s hand, her mother. Alex payed them no more attention. He focused only on the fact that Philip was now wrapping his arm around Alex, and Alex was returning the favor, dropping John’s hand in the process. 

“I missed you,” Alex choked as he felt a fresh tear slide down his face, only strengthening his grip on Philip. There was no way he was letting go of him ever again. Not ever. He’d keep him from the war, make George bind him to Tokadona if that’s what it took. There was no way Alex was letting his little brother give any more of his life to the First Order, not after everything that had happened. 

“While I  _ hate  _ to break up such a sweet moment,” Angelica said from her place in the ship, “we need to go. Like, now. This very moment.” 

“I can ride in the shuttle, if that’s easier,” John whispered into Alex’s ear, sending little shivers down his spine, “I mean, if you wanted Philip to ride with you in your ship. I understand completely.”

“No, it’s fine,” Philip smiled cheerfully, causing Alex’s heart to absolutely melt. He still had that 1,000 watt smile that made him look that much like their mother, back before she’d gotten sick and stopped smiling. He cast a quick glance at Theo, who was eagerly walking her mother into the shuttle, Eliza taking over Theo’s actual ship, “I think I’ll just ride in there. I don’t want to intrude on you two.”

Alex looked at his little brother basically gave heart eyes to Theo, and he felt a mixture of disgust and overwhelming joy. While he would love for the two of them to date (from what he remembered of Philip, they were both very similar. Highly intelligent, interested in change, and the same age.) Alex also saw Theo as a little sister to him. It was weird, would definitely take some getting used to, and he made a mental note to pester Philip about it later.

Before his little brother split up from him once again, he pressed a quick kiss to the very top of his head, smack in the middle of the curly mess of hair he had. Philip just smiled back up at him before sprinting off to the shuttle, eagerly starting up a conversation with Theo. He might’ve been mistaken, but Alex was positive he saw his little brother bump the girl’s hips after giving a laugh.

“He’s just like you, you know,” John sighed with a smile, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear, “you’re both very energetic and have one-track minds.”

“We’re not alike,” Alex smiled at his feet before moving closer to his x-wing. They did have to hurry up, after all, “he’s good and pure and everything that the First Order probably tried to take away from him.”

“You are good.” John placed an arm on Alex’s shoulder, sliding into the back seat of the x-wing. “And I love that about you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome for that make-out scene, fellow trash. (That's a lie. I'm not trash. I'm the landfill.)
> 
> Also, and this is super important: I won't be continuing this with the sequel until towards the end of Summer. I still plan on doing AT LEAST the four one-shots between now and then, but doing an entirely new book is to much. I will, however, be taking one-shot requests for this universe between now and the last month of Summer, because I don't want to just leave you hanging.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next week!


	17. John - Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small chapter to finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short, y'all. I'm talking less than 1,000 words. But it's literally only there to set up for the sequel. Also: fluff. Enjoy.

The transition was weird, to say the least. From the moment John had technically joined the Resistance, it was one thing after another. First, he couldn’t be trusted. Then he was the only source of information for their big invasion mission. Then he was  _ part _ of said mission, fighting alongside the A team of the Resistance, which happened to include the man he’d just kissed. The man he was finally officially calling his boyfriend. And then… Then it was now.

Now was filled with a lot of calm, and John wasn’t sure how he liked that. All his life, it was one battle after another. A battle to stay himself, a battle against people he’d never really wanted to fight, and a battle to prove himself. The calmness was strange and foreign to him. 

Instead of sitting and enjoying his new freedom -a la Alexander- he spent a lot of his time training. Training himself, training with friends, or training new Resistance members, it didn’t matter. Since the word had gotten out that the Resistance was strong enough to break into one of the First Order’s bases, that two of their soldiers had gone toe to toe against their greatest asset and  _ lived, _ more and more people were joining. John spent a lot of his time training them in hand-to-hand combat with Angelica.

She was warming up to him, something he’d never thought would happen. She was happily giving him pointers on how to loosen his stance, and he was returning the favor with tips on adjusting her arm position. 

When he wasn’t with her, he was with Martha. She was beginning to teach him how to use the lightsaber, which he was greatly excited about. She seemed to know how to use it well, though refused to tell him. John had brought it up once, only to get tsked at and told to redo his basic exercises. He was seriously considering asking Alex to bring it up with Washington; he was seriously curious if the general’s wife had actually been a jedi. 

Of course, the time he did take to breath, he spent with Alex. It was glorious, like he was aimlessly floating while still being grounded. Mostly they kissed -which was nice. John enjoyed it very much, and proudly found himself becoming better and better at it. Alex had seemingly noticed as well, constantly praising. How John had survived before, he wasn’t even sure.- but they talked as well. John almost liked it more, getting to know Alex. He had an opinion on anything and everything, and John found it very endearing. 

So, just when he was beginning to get accustomed to the steady, slow pace that his life was winding down to, of course something comes to shatter it. 

“We’re getting called in for a meeting!” Lafayette came bounding into the small house John, Alex, and Philip shared. They’d gotten it when Philip had first come back, when Alex had realized there was nowhere for him to sleep. For the first few nights he stayed at the Theodosias’ place, which John and Alex had lightheartedly teased him about until Philip was blushing harder than John had ever seen someone blush. Since then, the three of them had moved into a small two-bedroom apartment that’s building owner was an open Resistance supporter. Still, Philip tended to have sleepovers at Theo’s place constantly. But that was fine, it made the nights spent between Alex and John even sweeter.

“What does he want?” Alex asked, looking up from the couch. He and John were tangled together, watching the movie on the holoscreen attached to the wall. Theodosia Burr was seated on the other end, and Philip and Theo were on the floor, sharing a blanket and trying to hide the fact that they were throwing popcorn at each other. 

“I don’t know,” Lafayette shrugged, still stuck in the doorway, “All I know is that he said something about the First Order creating a superweapon.”

“I’ll see you later then,” John gave Alex a small kiss on his cheek, shifting over to let the smaller man get up to leave. 

“He wants you there too, John,” Lafayette said.

“Oh,” his eyebrows shot up, “I’d assumed he just wanted members of the Revolutionary Squadron there.”

“He does,” Lafayette nodded and and began turning, leaving the door open for them to follow through, “You too, little missy.” He nodded to Theo before dissapearing down the hall, probably off to tell the Skywards.

John fought back his grin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it guys! Can you believe? All of this mess is over!
> 
> So, a few quick announcements:
> 
> 1) I'm going to be taking a short break to write a small Star Wars one-shot. Not Space4Ham, actual Star Wars. (It's a coffeeshop!AU, if anyone's interested) so the next one-shot might take a little time.
> 
> 2) I'm changing the line up of the one-shots a little bit. It's going to go Hercules-Eliza meeting, Philip's abduction, the Maria chapter (which I'm really tempted to write first.), and THEN the Theo Chapter. Which means there will no longer be a wedding chapter for Hercules and Eliza. I just thought it was a bit unnecessary. It will be established in the sequel, though.
> 
> 3) I love you all for sticking with me through this mess of an AU, and I hope to see you all again for the one-shots and sequel!


	18. An Update

Hey guys! Just a sweet little reminder to anyone that might have missed them: all four of my one-shots are now currently up on my AO3 account and -I promise guys- the first chapter of the Sequel is more than halfway completed!

 

If you haven't, make sure to take a moment to read the one-shots and check back for You Are My Galaxy, which will be posted sometime this week!

**Author's Note:**

> When I joined the fandom for the rap musical about founding fathers, did I expect to be writing Star Wars AU's? No. No I did not. Yet here I am.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
